The one spec that I always skip when buying a Pocket PC is that of the camera. After so many years, I have come to given up it ever being able to take great pictures. Instead, I rely on a digital camera, which does a really great job. I was starting to think the Pocket PC camera was just a waste of space (though some of you might disagree) and wondered if there were any useful applications for it. And that was when I came across Ateksoft’s WebCamera Plus software, a nifty piece of software that tries to give more credit to the built-in camera that I give it for.

Introduction

WebCamera Plus is one of 3 applications developed by Ateksoft. For those who have followed the company since they started, you might have known that WebCamera Plus was actually once a part of CoolCamera. However, after some version upgrades, WebCamera Plus and CoolCamera went their separate ways.

For those interested, WebCamera Plus is currently at v2.0, that version was released on December 17^th 2007. You can download a trial if you want to test it out. Currently it retails for $19.90 and the advantages of that over the trial is that you get an application without limitation, free support and upgrades, information when new versions are released and higher priority for request of customized features. So will you be spending be spending your money on this of a dedicated web camera instead?

Installation

Installing was rather straightforward. Because you will be using the captured images (or video) on your PC, Ateksoft decided to create an all in one package where the PC and Pocket PC version were installed from. This could be convenient for some but it was rather troublesome for me because I seldom use ActiveSync. I would have preferred an alternative where I could download the PC and Pocket PC version separately such that I can install them accordingly

Initial Setup

There is really nothing to setup (if you are using ActiveSync connected via USB). All you had to do was to launch the PC application and then the Pocket PC application and they will find each other and connect. From there, you can just launch the application of your choice that you will be using the webcamera with and configure accordingly. Because this new version supports microphone, you can also configure your chat client to use the phone’s microphone instead of your default microphone (if you have one).

I also tested out WiFi over LAN and Bluetooth setup and in both cases, the PC and Pocket PC connected just fine and streaming was smooth. The WiFi connection took some tweaking because it was initially set to autodetect and that did not work too well so I had to enter the IP Address manually and everything was good. The Bluetooth one was rather straightforward though and I faced no problems there. The developers also mentioned that you can even connect the over 3G and GPRS and while I do not have either to test, I reckon it should be possible with some tweaking.

Customizations Galore

When you are all done with the initial setup, you can go ahead and place your video-conferencing calls. However, if you are facing problems, be it with video/audio quality, you’ll be glad to know that you can get them sorted out. That’s because, there’s a wealth of customization options available for you.

Camera settings	Picture settings

For example, from the Pocket PC application that you see above, there are a lot of different settings that you can play around with. You can even set the resolution of the picture from the default 240×320 to 2MP. However, when I did this, the video was very jerky because the frame rate was about 4 per second. While the default settings worked fine for me, you might need something different and in that case, I am sure you’ll be glad that Ateksoft has provided you with so many options.

It Was Smooth Enough

Like I said earlier, the default settings posed no problem to me and it was smooth enough that the person I tested out the video conversation with did not even know I was using my Pocket PC as a webcamera. However, that will not always be the case because there are many factors that determine video smoothness such as frame rate and the connection being used.

Live Help

This is something I found rather interesting. You could use your Pocket PC screen as a video source and conduct a video conference with it. This way, you could show, in real time, step by step, how to do something on your Pocket PC to your friend who could be hundreds or even thousands of miles away. No longer do you need to record a video and then dub a voice over it.

Connection Freedom

This has got to biggest, or at least one of the biggest, selling points for this application. You can now roam freely while conducting your video-chats. As long as you your Pocket PC is connected to your PC (be it wireless or wired), you no longer have to be in front of your PC to conduct your chats. Just moved into a new house? Call your friends and give them a tour of it. Thanks to the WebCamera Plus now supporting your Pocket PC’s microphone, you can talk and tour at the same time. Mobile road warriors would find this really useful because they can now leave one more device at home

How Do I Prop This Up?

This was one thing that got me thinking. The software works great and all but if I want to have a video conference with my friends, does that mean I have to hold the device the whole time? Because of the Pocket PC cameras are positioned, unless you have a clamp to prop it up the right way, you might have some trouble using it for long periods of time. An alternative is to use a stack of books or something similar to get the height you want and then rest the Pocket PC there.

Summary

What I Like

• Easy to install and setup.
• A lot of customization options to get the picture quality you want.
• Is smooth enough for a decent video conversation.
• Ability to use your Pocket PC screen as a video source.
• Great for people always on the go.
• A lot of connection options.

What Can Be Improved

• Separate installation packages for PC and Pocket PC version.
• Show the IP address of the PC to connect to on PC’s application so that it’s easier for users to connect to it over the air.
• Allow PC application to start the Pocket PC application remotely.
• Ability to switch between connections seamlessly.

• This is not a limitation on the software part but something I think I should point out. Unless your device is connected to a power source, you can only use this for limited amount of time before having to charge this. So if you are planning a whole day conference, you might want to use the USB ActiveSync connection.

Conclusion

This could be the cheapest web camera (or the most expensive if you factor in the cost of your Pocket PC) that you ever have. Even if you argue that you could shell out a bit more and get a better resolution web camera, do bear in mind that not many applications out there support such higher resolutions. In fact, I think with the exception of Skype, all other common applications like Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger do not support them. So you are still back to lower resolutions.

So is this camera worth it? I would think so, especially if you are in need of a web camera. Or if you are always on the road. Finding a holder or clamp to keep it in the right position can be a bit challenging though so you might want to factor it in. For those of you still wondering about how great it is, you want to give the trial a go here. Or if you are already decided, you can place your order here.

What are your experiences with this application?

Tags: commercial software