Computer Web Cam with Mic

My husband and I love woot.com. Woot, if you have never been there, is a site that normally offers one deal per day - that is, until the item is sold out. Shipping is always $5.00 on an item or quantity up to 3 of that item.

When woot.com has electronic devices on, they are normally refurbished, but we don't care because that means the item has been sent back into the company's production and actually checked to be in working condition. Let's face it, we have all bought an item and found out it doesn't work when our friend bought the idential thing and it's perfectly fine for them. So buggy things happen in electronic devices. And a lot of the time with technology, by the time an item hits the shelves, it's already old and a newer item takes the front seat. So many items go to woot.com and you get a fantastic deal. They also have "Woot Offs" where you'll see little amber flashing lights on the page and they could have anywhere from 1 to hundreds of the item in the Woot Off, but these offererings allow for lots of products to be sold throughout the day. If you aren't interested in that particular item, wait until the next one comes up.

Tuesdays are always 2 For Tuesday deals at woot.com.So when I saw that Woot was offering these Philips Plug and Play USB Webcams with Microphone as a 2 Pack, I jumped right onto my account and ordered them.The webcams each offer a 1.3mp resolution (which of course isn't high, but it's a webcam). You need to have sufficient lighting around you for video conferencing, but I believe all webcams are like this, unless they have a light (which many do now).

It comes with a CD to install the software and as a word of advice - always go to the manufacturer's site after intalling things because there is normally an update needed. But these webcams are called an "Easy Plug and Play Webcam with Microphone". The funny thing is, I was searching everywhere for a Mic I had that was really old. I was signing up for a Skype account so that I could finally participate in video conferencing and TOTALLY forgot this webcam came with a little Mic. I kept seeing this little lightweight plastic "thing" by my desk but my brain had failed to make the connection as to what elctronic device I had that used it. I have tons of electronic gadgets and have a bad habit of keeping each item in it's safely stored place. Good thing I kept the box because when I went to write the review, I saw that "thing" on the cover and am actually so happy.

The webcam is connected by a USB cable and the Mic plugs right into the computer "Mic" plug, either on the front or back of my computer tower. The webcam sits easily on top of a LED or laptop screen and honestly, I still have a CRT (old fashioned) monitor that I use and it sits up there perfectly fine too. The camera is fixed on top of a "ball" rotation so you can move it around to any angle you desire.

Now I just need to find family and friends who can video conference with me. And the webcam actually hangs differently on a LED or laptop. In my video you'll see I have to put the balancing clip to the side, instead of to the back, where it would sit on a newer monitor. And the only way my hubby will know how badly I want a laptop now or at least my 22" LED monitor, is if I send him the video to watch.

Update On Jun 25, 2010: Well, I gave this webcam to my parents so that we could Skype together. Since my laptop came with everything built in, I figured I would pass it along so they could enjoy it. It's truly a great camera and mic.