Logitech 961400-0403 Quickcam for Notebooks Deluxe

Product Description
When you rely on your notebook PC to communicate with business partners and family, it's critical to use high quality, reliable accessories. You want a hassle-free experience... but you've also got an eye for cool design. The Logitech QuickCam for Notebooks Deluxe offers just that: powerful, sophisticated functionality wrapped in one slick package. You get crisp VGA video - perfect for video IM and the latest video calling services - and smart optics that handle low light situations with ease. And there's no need to sit tight: the QuickCam for Notebooks Deluxe has Logitech's unique, intelligent face tracking that keeps you in the picture without the distracting image jumps that plague other cameras.

Works most of the time
I use this cam all the time and most of the time it is good. The mic on it has a few problems so i have to use a different mic to be heard. It clips fine on my Gateway Laptop. It is a bit laggy from time to time as well.

Quickcam assessment
I purchased 4 of these Logitech 961400-0403 Quickcams for use with friends over Skype because of the price, performance and features. The resolution is very good for VOIP, and the face-tracking and special-effects features of the associated software work as advertised. I initially purchased a Logitech Orbcam for significantly more but these are so much cheaper with equivalent performance for VoIP that I would choose these any day.

Possible improvements:
1. Although the form factor is for Laptops, a wider mounting clamp for desktop LCD monitors would improve its usage. I had to fabricate one for my desktop.
2. A side-to-side swivel mount would also improve its usage.

Good design Bad quality
Well the camera is easy to install and get going but the quality is dismal at best.

How?
How did this thing end up with 4 stars? First of all I can never find anything to clip this onto. It does not clip to any part of my standard Dell laptop without putting stress on the pastic and it is not worth breaking my laptop for. Oh and good luck finding something else in your house that fits it perfectly and can stabilize it. Secondly the cord is so short it is not even funny. I suspect it is about about 3 feet tops. So if you want to move it around to get something a little out of range forget about it. Third of all it does not focus well at all especially when the subject is any real distance away. Lastly, the drivers on Vista actually cause the blue screen of death randomly and fairly regularly. Which is of course super fun when you are trying to talk to someone online. At this point the only thing to like is the right light feature which does seem to do an o.k. job of handling low light conditions. However, if it is all blurry, immobile, and crashes your computer, it doesn't really matter does it?

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Logitech 961400-0403 Quickcam for Notebooks Deluxe & More...