Creative WebCam Go

Since the WebCam can do two different things, we tested the camera as a WebCam and as a portable still camera. Since I run a home-based business, I had some use for this camera. I had set up a video conference meeting with a developer I work with. We tried out NetMeeting, and ICUII. We concentrated on ICUII, due to Netmeetings stubborness behind firewalls :) The camera added a whole new perspective to our meeting; being able to look at someone while carrying on a conversation adds more than you might think. The WebCam has a focus option on the lens that helped getting the perfect picture for the distance from the cam to the object/person. The camera uses USB to connect to your PC, making it a snap to setup. Overall, I found the image quality to be as good as any other camera, if not a bit better.

WebCam GO: (Portable Camera)
This is the unique part of this camera. After taking shots in different quality settings, the fact that this is not a digital camera was even more evident. You should not mistake this camera for a real digital camera. The image quality of the stills is poor. Personally, I think the image quality could have been better. I know it's not a digital camera, but if you are going to market it as a portable camera, shouldn't the images, at the very least, be clear? To offer some comparison, I took some shots using the Webcam go and my Olympus D-340R to show you the image quality difference. Not that the pictures should necessarily look as good as from a digital camera, it should perform better than it does in my opinion.

Image Comparison:
Digital Cam	WebCam Go	Digital Cam	WebCam Go

Software
The camera ships with its own software for the WebCam, and MediaRing Talk 99, and Polaroid PhotoMax Image Maker software. Creative did a fantastic job on the software. It's easy to use and sports a very, very nice interface. With the software, you can: set up the webcam to do the normal webcam video routine, make the camera take random stills and send them to a website via FTP, take the stills you captured off the camera, change camera settings and more. Overall, the driver setup and software functionality is excellent.