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Lights,Videocam, Action

Videophone technology's here, but don't expect The Jetsons.

Maybe you think The Jetsons is a mere cartoon. When I was a kid, I knew better: It was nothing less than an exhilarating preview of my life in the future. I looked forward to piloting a flying saucer to work, employing robotic servants and using snazzy videophones.

Hey, it could still happen. For now, I take a (very earthbound) bus to work and have no household help, electronic or otherwise. But one fragment of Jetsonian technology really has arrived, sort of: the videophone. More precisely, I've turned my PC into a videophone, courtesy of Logitech's QuickCam Home video camera. The QuickCam Home is cheap ($99.95), small and easy to set up. Just plug it into a PC's USB port, prop it on top of the monitor, aim it at yourself, and you're ready to make video calls to anyone else with a QuickCam or similar videocam. (The QuickCam Pro for $149.95 or the more basic QuickCam VC for $79.95 can be used with either a PC or a Mac.) Calls go over the Internet, so you don't pay a penny over your standard monthly Internet charges.

My first call was to my faraway friend Kip. The Jetsons would've laughed at our inaugural gabfest. The video was fuzzy and infrequently updated. Sometimes Kip couldn't hear me; other times I couldn't hear him. Mostly, we waved our hands and shouted, "Hello! Can you hear me?"

The culprit: the inherent limitations of the telephone system. Even at 56 kbps, it can't pump high-quality video over the Net. So I decided to try the QuickCam for its other purpose: video e-mail--a one-way, non-real-time process that involves recording a clip and sending it as an e-mail attachment.

I combed my hair, cleared my throat and recorded a greeting. And the people who got my clip were tickled. The image was small but moved smoothly enough, and my voice was pretty clear. Video e-mail definitely beat out video chat. So yes, affordable videophone technology is here. But set aside your Jetsons fantasy for now.