MILPITAS, Calif., Dec. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Creative Technology, a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products, today announced the Creative Live!(R) Cam Optia, the USB Video Class web camera that works by simply plugging it into your PC -- no drivers or software installation is required. A state-of-the-art webcam that provides the easiest way to video chat with family, friends and colleagues, the Creative Live! Cam Optia incorporates an exclusive parental control feature to ensure safe, password-protected video instant messaging. The Creative Live! Cam Optia is available now at Fry's Electronics and us.creative.com for only US$79.99.
With a stylish, compact, low-profile design that looks great atop a desktop or notebook PC, the glossy-white Creative Live! Cam Optia has a multi-axis swivel lens that rotates to almost any viewing angle up to 270 degrees for natural, eye-level video chatting. A glowing blue light on the camera indicates that the camera is on, and the included stereo headset enables clear voice communications. After a call has concluded, the camera can be easily shut off by rotating it downward to ensure privacy and eliminate concern about ongoing video transmission.
"The Live! Cam Optia enables people to begin video chatting with friends and family seconds after taking the webcam out of the box, eliminating the time and hassle of installing anything from a CD. We designed the Creative Live! Cam Optia so anyone could just plug it into the PC, launch their favorite IM program, and immediately begin video chatting over the Internet," said Dr. Jeff Stoen, general manager for video and imaging at Creative. "With our continued commitment to innovation in the webcam category, we've introduced an exclusive parental control feature in the Creative Live! Cam Optia to support safe online video chatting."
The certified hi-speed USB 2.0 Creative Live! Cam Optia features a precision, 5-element glass lens for delivering sharper, clearer video during online chatting with popular instant messaging clients including Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live Messenger or AIM. The Creative Live! Cam Optia also comes with a library of special video effects (Mardi Gras mask, fun house mirrors) that add personality and fun to video chatting.
The Creative Live! Cam Optia web camera includes a robust software bundle:
*Creative Live! Cam Suite:
** Live! Cam Center -- a powerful and user-friendly application that
enables users to record video, snap still photos, remotely monitor
a Creative web camera, set up motion detection alerts, and much
more.
** Live! Cam Manager -- a user-friendly control panel that lets you
select between the different functions of your webcam with the
click of a button.
** Advanced Video FX -- choose from a wide selection of video effects
-- like warping your image or putting on a Mardi Gras mask -- to
add flair to your web chat.
** Live! Cam Doodling -- doodle, draw or write messages right on your
image during a video chat to express your mood, feelings and style.
** Photo Manager and Photo Calendar -- for organizing photos and
creating personalized calendars.
*SightSpeed(TM) -- award-winning software application enables users to
make the best quality video calls, as well as record and send video
email.
*OrbSecure(TM) -- for remote access to a webcam using any Internet-enabled
device.
*muvee(TM) autoProducer -- for making professional-looking home movies and
slideshows.
Pricing and Availability
The Creative Live! Cam Optia is available now at Fry's Electronics or us.creative.com for only US$79.99. For more information on Creative web cameras, please visit http://www.us.creative.com/ .
About Creative
Creative is a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products. Famous for its Sound Blaster(R) sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment on the PC platform with products like its highly acclaimed ZEN(TM) MP3 and portable media players. Creative's innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications and services leverage the Internet, enabling consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment...anytime, anywhere.
This announcement relates to products launched in the United States. Availability is subject to change without notice and may differ elsewhere in the world according to local factors and requirements. Sound Blaster, Live, Creative Live! Cam Optia, and ZEN are trademarks or registered trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
