Argus PC100 and PC300 Web Cams Bring Video Conferencing to the Masses; Chatting Using PC Cameras has Never Been More Affordable.Business Editors Argus Camera, a leading provider of quality digital, 35mm, Advanced Photo System (APS) and Power Zoom cameras, has made it easier - and less expensive - for everyone to video conference on line with their new PC100 and PC300 PC Cam/Web Cam video cameras. These new USB USB in full Universal Serial Bus Type of serial bus that allows peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, digitizers, data gloves, etc.) to be easily connected to a computer. cameras allow anyone to see and hear you online, enhancing the chat experience, at about a third of the cost of the most popular Web cams being used today. "The marketplace, especially for young people, is expanding to where voice and image are being used," says Bill Pearson, president of Argus Camera. "Our aim was to produce a camera that anyone could afford so they can actively participate in this phenomenon." The PC100, which will retail for $19.95, is a 100,000-pixel camera that can transmit a video image at 30 frames per second in CIF (1) (Common Intermediate Format) A standard video format used in videoconferencing. CIF formats are defined by their resolution, and standards both above and below the original resolution have been established. The original CIF is also known as Full CIF (FCIF). mode. It also features precise focus turning, video e-mail, video calling capability, webcasting, video monitoring, instant messaging Exchanging text messages in real time between two or more people logged into a particular instant messaging (IM) service. Instant messaging is more interactive than e-mail because messages are sent immediately, whereas e-mail messages can be queued up in a mail server for seconds or and it is Internet ready. The PC300, which will have a suggested retail price of $29.95 and has all the features of the PC100, is a 300,000 pixel camera with a built-in microphone. Both of these egg-shaped cameras are compatible with Microsoft Windows See Windows. (operating system) Microsoft Windows - Microsoft's proprietary window system and user interface software released in 1985 to run on top of MS-DOS. Widely criticised for being too slow (hence "Windoze", "Microsloth Windows") on the machines available then. 98 SE, 2000, ME and XP and are "plug and play" compatible. Just attach them to a computer's USB port A USB socket on a computer or peripheral device into which a USB cable is plugged. See USB. and let Windows do the rest. They also come with an extensive package of software from ArcSoft and Microsoft Instant Messenger AOL's instant messaging service. See AIM and instant messaging. . The PC100 and PC300 are expected to hit the shelves of most major retail outlets in the U.S. by the end of July. Argus Camera is based in Elk Grove Village Elk Grove Village, village (1990 pop. 33,429), Cook and Du Page counties, NE Ill., a suburb of Chicago; inc. 1956. With a population of c.100 at the time of its establishment on open farmland, the village has grown dramatically and steadily, largely because of its , Ill., in suburban Chicago. Founded in 1936, the company introduced the first low-cost 35mm camera to the world and has been named the "Great American Camera Company" by the Smithsonian Institute. Today, the company offers a wide range of photographic products and supplies, including 35mm cameras, APS cameras, single use type cameras, digital cameras and other imaging products and accessories. Argus cameras are sold in such retail outlets as Wal*Mart, Kmart, Office Max, Ritz Camera, Ames, Meijer, Fred Meyer, ShopKo, Camera World, Bartell Drug, and on the Internet at www.800.com. For more information on Argus and its full line of products, call 1.847.228.5300; write 1100 Howard Street, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007; email to argus@arguscamera.com; or visit the company's Web site at www.arguscamera.com |
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