The Creative Labs Live Ultra Webcam
This cam usually sells for $80 – after rebate with free shipping.
I bought this webcam a few weeks ago so I could have cam conversations with my family in Germany. I needed a good small webcam I could mount on my laptop.
It clips firmly over the top corner of your laptop easily though it might be a bit tight on some thicker models. I plugged it in the USB port and it was instantly recognized. The software install went easy enough but it did come with a lot of bloatware. I tried it out with a few IM programs but it seemed to run a bit slow. The video was choppy and broken even with a T-1 connection. I was about to give up on it until I tried it with Skype. Using the cam with Skype made all the difference. The video was clear and no frame rate drop. Also the sound came in nice with a good even tone. Now it works great and I am really pleased with the webcam.
Two notes. The webcam uses a separate microphone that comes with it. Also it can have some issues with ATI chipsets.
If you like to use Skype I highly recommend this cam but if you are planing on using the stock Creative Labs software it didn’t seen to fare as well.
Details
- Compact design for notebooks with PowerGrip attachment
- Wide-angle lens captures most of the room in the video
- True high-speed USB 2.0 delivers smooth video at 30 fps and quality color images
- High-speed USB 2.0 (compatible with USB 1.1 PCs).
- PowerGrip attachment fits tightly on notebook display.