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View Full Version : MacAlly IceCam2...your thoughts?


psmith2.0
2008-03-23, 16:50
I'm really missing out on the iChat video thing (so many friends are flung around the country, many with built-in iSights on newer Macs). I found this at MacAlly's site. It's has the "coming soon" badge there for a long time, so I know I can't get a "real world" take on it from anyone here.

IceCam2 USB webcam from MacAlly. (http://macally.com/EN/Product/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=220)

But spec-wise (and for the price), does this sound like something that would work for me until I wind up with a newer Mac at some point? I know it's not going to be as good as Apple's standalone FireWire iSight, but those aren't made anymore and I'm not going to pay the nutball prices I'm seeing on eBay. I don't do this every day, multiple times, so I don't need absolute perfection and I'm not looking to spend a gob of money for something that I have to dick around with other drivers and workaround/jury-rigging methods...I hate that sort of stuff.

But do you see anything in those specs that screams "absolute crap, to be avoided at all costs!" to anyone here?

:confused:

The part that appealed to me most was "no drivers" and the Leopard reference, which means this thing has been conceived/designed fairly recently (and not late 2002 or whatever). I would certainly prefer a somewhat Mac/iChat-centric product like this, as opposed to buying some Microsoft or Logitech item for a similar price (which only references Windows XP/Vista on the packaging) and hoping it worked. This device seems about as straightforward and ready-out-of-the-box as Apple's iSight, which is what I would like.

Your thoughts? I e-mailed MacAlly and asked them when, exactly, "coming soon" is...

rampancy
2008-03-23, 17:00
I have the original IceCam, which I used with my old G3 iBook, and FWIW, it worked pretty well. My original experience with it however was somewhat tainted because the first one that I had developed a loose connection between the flexible stalk on which the camera was mounted and the camera itself, causing it to cut out intermittently. Oh yeah, and the MacAlly's installer for the drivers did something weird which caused my Mac to drop into a CLI debugger on startup.

If it's a "driverless" webcam then at least you should avoid any headaches such as the ones that l had - but since MacAlly seems to be an OEM which just slaps their own branding on seemingly generic USB products (I've seen "generic" branded versions of the iceCam and some of MacAlly's mice which are at least externally identical to those products) you actually might see a similar camera sold somewhere else for a cheaper price.

Given the similar form factor and feature set that it has to Ecamm's iMage webcam (http://www.ecamm.com/mac/imagewebcam/), I wonder if it has the same internals as the iMage.

chucker
2008-03-23, 17:16
But do you see anything in those specs that screams "absolute crap, to be avoided at all costs!" to anyone here?

No. The specs are fine, and the price tag is alright as well.

psmith2.0
2008-03-23, 17:23
Not sure, rampancy.

Hopefully I'll get a response back from MacAlly themselves, regarding availability. I'm not even able to find any reviews or talk about it online, so it must be super-new or just-announced?

I know the previous (gooseneck) model required some third-party driver, as do a lot of these third-party cameras, to work with iChat properly. There's no mention of that on this page (the original IceCam page makes mention of iChatUSBCam software a few times), so hopefully it is just as easy as "plugging it in and launching iChat".

Thanks, chucker.

Reid
2008-03-23, 22:01
Any webcam that has a Windows Vista compliance logo on it will work with Mac OS X version 10.4.3 or later without additional drivers. Since that release of the OS, it has had built in support for USB Video Class (UVC) devices. I've found very few webcams that explicitly call out UVC compliance on their packaging--let alone Mac compatibility--but since it is a requirement for Windows Vista certification, that's the only logo you need to look for.

Here's one for $18 (http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Live-Cam-Vista-IM/dp/B000J315DE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1206327407&sr=8-1) that you can buy right now that has similar specs to that IceCam, although it's not quite as nice looking.

psmith2.0
2008-03-23, 22:18
And that will plug into my 19th century PowerBook G4, running OS 10.5.2 and work with iChat without any extra, special bullcrap and choreography, correct?

No iChatUSBCam software, etc.? Nothing cute regarding sound/audio? It just plugs in, iChat/OS X recognizes it and I proceed just as though I have an Apple iSight?

Actually, I think that one looks neater than the MacAlly one...like a little alien bug. :)

Reid
2008-03-23, 23:18
I haven't tested it personally, but UVC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_video_device_class) compatibility is supposed to be the requirement for Windows Vista. So, if it has the Vista certification, it should also work with iChat without any "extra, special bullcrap." (I couldn't have put it any better myself!)

Here's Amazon's list (http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_5171902_23?ie=UTF8&docId=1000112131&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-4&pf_rd_r=0QDKPRQA9QXCCW0BTB3F&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=372833701&pf_rd_i=354790011) of all the Vista-sanctioned webcams they stock. Theoretically, any of these should work.

rampancy
2008-03-23, 23:27
And that will plug into my 19th century PowerBook G4, running OS 10.5.2 and work with iChat without any extra, special bullcrap and choreography, correct?


Yup - 10.4.9 added third-party USB webcam support to iChat, no drivers or extra software needed. I remember seeing in some places people getting cheap Xbox 360 webcams and using them with their upgraded systems by just plugging them into their Macs.

psmith2.0
2008-03-24, 20:37
I just got a response back from MacAlly. They say this IceCam2 will be available in "mid-to-late June", for those who are interested...

I remember hearing about the third-party support, but I was still under the impression a shareware driver/utility thingie (iChatUSBCam?) was needed. It was being pushed everywhere I looked, but perhaps that was for Panther or pre-10.4.9 Tiger?

rampancy
2008-03-26, 00:28
No, from what I remember seeing all around the web, getting a third-party USB webcam to work with iChat involves having 10.4.9 or later (http://www.tuaw.com/2007/03/18/10-4-9-adds-usb-camera-support-for-ichat-xbox-camera-works/) and plugging it in, with the condition that it's a USB video device class (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_video_device_class)-compliant device (hence Reid referring to UVC-compliant devices earlier - as he mentioned it does seem like Vista compatibility is a sure bet that it'll work with your Mac). It doesn't seem to be as universal as USB mice/keyboards, as I'm sure that not all cameras adhere to the spec.

I remember iChatUSBCam (http://www.ecamm.com/mac/iusbcam/) - when MacAlly first announced the iceCam they at first claimed that they'd be bundling iChatUSBCam with it, but when they launched it they instead offered something like a $15 discount coupon on it instead. I guess that in part because of the addition of UVC to OS X with 10.4.9+, it instead morphed to an add on to enable video conferencing on below-spec Macs.

jasrunner
2009-06-09, 12:16
I just received my Icecam2, plugged it in and opened iChat: works perfect.
Then I tried it with skype: and that didn't work. Any suggestions?

chucker
2009-06-09, 13:10
I just received my Icecam2, plugged it in and opened iChat: works perfect.
Then I tried it with skype: and that didn't work. Any suggestions?

Just to be clear: your camera does not show up in Skype's Video Preferences?

PKIDelirium
2009-06-09, 13:23
I saw an IceCam for $29 the other day. Not 100% sure if it was an IceCam 2 or not. I'm tempted to pick one up.

jasrunner
2009-07-02, 16:02
No, the camera does not show up in Skype's Video Preferences