Science
fiction no longer, video chatting is here and readily available to
anyone. All you need is a broadband Internet connection and some basic
equipment. Next thing you know, you'll be yakking with friends or
coworkers from across the country as if they were sitting right in
front of you.
The first thing you need for a video chatting station is a webcam.
Today, many laptops come with webcams built right in, centered just
above the screen. The Dell XPS M1210,
for example, boasts a rotating webcam that you can aim at yourself as
you look at the screen, or turn to capture someone else sitting across
the table. With particularly high quality, the M1210's webcam is 1.3
megapixels—not necessary for video chatting, but a nice touch if you
decide to use any of your images for other purposes.
The webcam on the 13-inch MacBook
is a more typical 0.3 megapixels—just enough to create the
640-by-480-pixel image that you need for video chatting. The MacBook
also has a microphone conveniently placed next to the webcam, so when
you speak towards the camera, you're also speaking into the mic. The iMac is the rare desktop with a built-in webcam, microphone, and speakers. Like on the MacBook, the camera is 0.3 megapixels.
If your computer doesn't have a built in camera, don't worry. There
are plenty of external webcams on the market. (Keep in mind, though,
that not all webcams and video chatting services are compatible. Before
you purchase, check to make sure that the webcam you're considering
works with the service you plan to use.)
Many external webcams, like the Creative WebCam Live! Motion or the Logitech QuickCam Fusion,
for example, are bundled with a set of headphones and attached
microphone. This is advantageous, since a microphone hovering near your
mouth reduces the possibility of ambient noise disrupting your
conversation.
With the hardware all set, you're ready to choose a video chatting host. SightSpeed,
a free service which features both phone and video chatting, offers
particularly high quality video. With video playing at 30 frames per
second, SightSpeed's images are less jerky than most. SightSpeed also
does an excellent job keeping the image and sound in sync. Skype 2.5 (beta)
is another extremely popular chatting application, with its strength in
its intuitive web interface and voice quality. Video chatting is
available at around 15 frames per second.
And the final step: get your friends and family to sign up.
You might never use your phone again.