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Tags If for some reason you don't have an iSight on your Mac, fear not! Those guys from Macally have a webcam just for you in the robotic shape of the IceCam 2.
Connecting to your Mac via an available USB port, it claims to provide manual and auto focus, a microphone and adjustment clip which also doubles as a stand - making it easy to attach it to your monitor. The IceCam 2 can be rotated 360 degrees and tilts a further 135 degrees. It also features a maximum resolution of 640 x 480 pixels, with an additional USB Video Class device - meaning no driver installation is required.
With the IceCam 2 also compatible with a wide range of programs such as: iChat, Yahoo Messenger, Skype, as well as Windows Live Messenger for users of Windows, we found it seems a useful piece of equipment. Additional programs are also compatible, such as Apple's Photobooth application.
Although most webcams on the market feature brilliant resolution, pixel and colour enhancement when taking photographs, we thought we would test the video quality from the IceCam 2 - and to say the least it was reasonable and consistent - even though it does not compare well to the crisp and clean quality of the iSight.
When chatting over iChat, the IceCam 2 was adequate in its quality - even if the microphone was not quite as impressive. The microphone sits several feet from your mouth, which means that it picks up a mumbled version of your voice as well as any background noise.
Unfortunately using a USB headset in addition would not be possible as the IceCam 2 is identified as one device. This is one of the major flaws but as a decent substitute for the iSight and a price of £20, we can't really complain.
While the device is of good quality, the only drawback of it is the microphone.
Rating: 7/10
