Digital Trends

Logitech QuickCam Orbit

March 10th, 2004 | by Brandon King

Introduction

With webcams are bordering on passé, Logitech has breathed life into the product category with a unique design that looks both retro and modern at the same time. Aesthetically, it is the most modern and elegant looking webcam we have come across.

The Orbit features a camera enclosed in a glossy black orb that sits atop a nine-inch-high stand at your eye level. With Logitech's innovative face tracking technology, the Orbit automatically turns left, right, up and down and follows your face as you move.
 
Design and Features
 
Webcams are almost a thing of the past. Leave it to Logitech to breathe new life into the market by introducing what might be considered the all-around best webcam to date.

The first thing everyone notices when they see the QuickCam Orbit is its unique design. When detached from its base, the Orb can be placed on an extension stalk, placing it nine inches above the base. While it looks like something out of a Star Trek episode, the extended stand serves a purpose; to align the webcam with the user's face.

The QuickCam Orbit features a nice long nine-foot USB 2.0 connection and is backwards compatible with USB1.1. In the two computers we tested the Orbit with, the USB 1.1 connection took considerably longer to recognize the camera the first time it was plugged in, but had no other limitations.

For image capture, the maximum resolution supported for still images is 1280x960 pixels which is about 1.3 megapixels. Video capture is limited to 640x480, however most instant messengers support up to only 320x240 anyway. The camera features a digital zoom that goes up to 300% at 20% increments. Audio is provided by a built-in unidirectional microphone.

With both Mac and PC compatibility and easy integration with most instant messengers, the QuickCam Orbit will appeal to a wide range of users.

The Logitech QuickCam Orbit is both functional and stylish.