Friday, October 8, 2010

Cool Technology of the Week

Over the past year, I've tested the Cisco Telepresence CTS 500 and Tandberg EX-90 video teleconferencing technologies in my home.   They've worked very well to reduce my travel schedule but they are more expensive than a typical consumer would want to spend.

This week, Cisco introduced the umi (You-Me) a home telepresence unit that will be sold by Best Buy for $599 starting October 18.   It requires an internet connection, an HDMI connection to an existing HDTV, and a PC or Mac for checking video voice mail.

HDTV video conferencing in the home for $599.    That's cool!
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6 comments:

  1. steve02476October 9, 2010 at 5:44 PM

    So, would this gadget be able to talk to the big expensive Cisco telepresence gadgets? They imply that the Umi only talks to other Umi's or to simple webcams.

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  2. steve02476October 9, 2010 at 5:51 PM

    Found my own answer - it will not interoperate with the big telepresence gadgets, at least initially.

    http://blogs.cisco.com/channels/bringing-telepresence-into-the-living-room/

    Too bad - and not so cool as it sounded.

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  3. AnonymousOctober 10, 2010 at 12:34 PM

    It seems that Skype can provide much the same thing but for free (at least to computers.) I am unclear on the added value with this product. Can anyone clarify?

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  4. stockupOctober 11, 2010 at 10:00 AM

    This does not seem to make too much sense. For $599 one can buy a laptop that has video conferencing functionality + more.
    I expect apple to come out with an $30 add-on for $99 AppleTV that should be able to do just that + use open source protocol.

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  5. Brent AntonyOctober 11, 2010 at 10:28 AM

    John,

    Have you had any experience with Vidyo? While clearly aimed at the corporate market for telepresence and not a standalone solution like the umi, I happened across them and liked the use of standard equipment and existing connections over dedicated systems and leased connections. Just curious if you've seen or heard anything on this or similar.

    Brent

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  6. LDOctober 14, 2010 at 11:30 AM

    Get the Logitech Google TV with the cam accessory. Does far more for the price.

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