By: Troy Gayle of Gadget-T.com
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It seems as though today, no matter what sort of business you are in, chances are you will spend at least some of your time dealing and meeting with people who are pretty far away. Granted, you are able to say everything you might need to say in an email, but nothing beats face-to-face communication. Sometimes you need to see the other person’s expressions as negotiations are being made to know if you’re on the winning end of the bid.
Most laptops these days come equipped with a webcam, and may even have a web-conference app built in. But if you find yourself looking for an aftermarket camera for video conferencing and need an effective program, there are many options for both. Here are a couple of examples!
Logitech offers quite a few webcams. I personally tested three models – the C200, C600, and the Pro 9000 – with prices ranging from $29.99 to $99.99. The entry level C200 will get you basic point-and-shoot, while the higher end Pro 9000 will get you features such as HD recording and face tracking.
Since you have the hardware, you need a video conferencing application to speak with your colleagues. Two no-brainers are Yahoo Instant Messenger and Google Chat. They are fairly straight forward, and chances are that most of your contacts are using one if not both of the services anyway.
If you want to get a little more sophisticated, Skype is the way to go. It’s respected worldwide as an internet phone calling service (Voice over IP or VoIP), and there’s something a bit more professional about listing a Skype ID on your business card as opposed to a Yahoo Instant Messenger ID. If you’re not using skype yet, take a look at this tutorial and link yourself in!
Whether you’re looking for tech tips, gadget advice or you just want to see what’s out there, be sure to check out Gadget-T.com!
