Laser USB PC Webcam

The idea of being able to hold a video conversation with someone on the other side of the world is a nice one. These days it's all too easy with the cost of webcams falling and their availability increasing. For many people, a webcam isn't going to be a luxury item anymore. This is where Laser steps in. Laser provides a basic, yet decent webcam at a rock bottom price.

The design of Laser's webcam is pretty clever. Managing to kill two birds with one stone, the camera can be used with both desktop PCs and laptops. This feature if rather convenient for those that frequently move their webcam between the two. The way Laser have achieved this is incredibly simple. The camera is attached to a clip that can either grip on to a laptop screen or to the included stand. Once you've positioned the camera, installation is a breeze. There is very little in the way of included software with the camera, so all that's necessary is to run the setup on the included CD and away you go.

To make things even more simple, to activate the camera all that is necessary is to press the silver button on the front of the webcam. This brings up a menu where you can select the program you would like to use. Laser has included a small application called AMCap. The software's primary function is to record video to disk, which it does fairly easily. Using the camera as an actual webcam can be done easily through programs such as MSN Messenger, where it works simply and effectively.

Nobody is going to be blown away by the picture quality of the camera, but it's by no means bad. The 350k pixel CMOS sensor does the job nicely, allowing a resolution of up to 640x480. The picture quality is clear and crisp though sometimes lags a little. Overall, the camera is cheap, simple to use and of decent quality; everything you'd want in a webcam.