The first two available webcams, the Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000 and Microsoft LifeCam VX-3000, will be released in August 2006 and will retail at $99.95 and $49.95, respectively.
Features include the Windows Live Call Button, which enhances video calls by displaying only current online contacts, and the LifeCam Dashboard, which provides simple access to pan, tilt and zoom controls. High definition pictures can be posted directly to online blogging community Windows Live Spaces.
Both LifeCams come with video effects such as such as falling snowflakes and twinkling stars, to personalize and enhance the background of video conversations.
Each month, people spend more than one billion minutes in Windows Live video conversations. It’s clear that consumers are now embracing technologies that support relationship-centered digital communications, said Tom Gibbons, vice president of the Consumer Productivity Experiences Group at Microsoft.
Microsoft says that consumer research shows more people would use webcams if they were easier to operate and provided better audio and video quality.
