Apple iSight

[preiffer]

OK, General question.

Does anyone here actually own an iSight?

I'm thinking of getting one for my shiny new PowerBook (I can pick it up for £91 from Apple), but I have a small reservation about who/what I can use it with.

I know it works with iChat/AOL, but a lot of the guys I know are on either MSN/Yahoo. Has anyone managed to get one working with those two IM clients? Thoughts, guys & girls...?

[Pete]

I've used a Firewire camera (same tech as the iSight) with iChat, and it worked. But I only really did it to see the technology working rather than because I actually wanted to video conference with anyone.

[Scrooge]

hang on,you can get a powerbook for 91 pounds?..I'll take one please

Originally posted by jetwet1
hang on,you can get a powerbook for 91 pounds?..I'll take one please

I think that is a case of wishful thinking, or even wishful reading. Isn't grammar and punctuation a great invention.

p.s. I havn't used one myself but I did connect to someone using one with Yahoo IM. Me on Wintel Yahoo, they on Apple Yahoo.

Paul

[Scrooge]

Originally posted by p17blo

Originally posted by jetwet1
hang on,you can get a powerbook for 91 pounds?..I'll take one please

I think that is a case of wishful thinking, or even wishful reading. Isn't grammar and punctuation a great invention.

Paul

Dohh again [B)],I think that comes under the wishful thinking thing.

I have an iSight camera - problem of course is no-one else does, so I have yet to do any video conferencing with it. Pete was gonna use his FireWire camera and ichat with me at some point IIRC!

I've done two cool things with it:
1. Used it to read barcodes off DVDs and Books to add them to my Delicious Library just because I can.
2. Played around with the fancy Photo Booth app which comes with new iMacs.

You should get one because it's metal, substantial, classy and nice. I got one cos I ran out of other cool Apple gadgets to buy.

Yep, I've got an iSight lump sitting atop my iMac. As Onionz says, it looks seriously cool - but doesn't all Apple kit?

Unfortunately, as far as 'chat' apps go, the MacOS MSN client is very basic and doesn't support cameras.

iSight integrates beautifully with iChat, but that suffers from the ongoing battle between AIM & MSN. By that, I mean no-one I know uses it [ii], most folk seeming to go for MSN Messenger and 'never the twain shall meet' - leastways not yet. (LRoM, any comment?)

I can tell you that the built-in mic in iSight works well with Skype, though!

Dave

[preiffer]

Originally posted by onionz
You should get one because it's metal, substantial, classy and nice. I got one cos I ran out of other cool Apple gadgets to buy.

... and presumably, you want someone to talk to on it with yours...? [:p]

[preiffer]

Originally posted by derby_dave
I can tell you that the built-in mic in iSight works well with Skype, though!

Better than the internal mic, Dave? If so, it might be worth the £91 (for the iSight, not the £2k PowerBook, Dave W!) for that alone...!

Originally posted by preiffer

Originally posted by derby_dave
I can tell you that the built-in mic in iSight works well with Skype, though!

Better than the internal mic, Dave?

My iSight is on my iMac G5 (the "old" version without built-in camera & mic [:#]). I've also put Skype on my PB and the built-in mic on that seems to work OK. Not had chance to give either a real road test yet though.

Dave

(Edited 'cos I got my G4s & G5s mixed up last night [:I][:I])

Originally posted by preiffer

Originally posted by onionz
You should get one because it's metal, substantial, classy and nice. I got one cos I ran out of other cool Apple gadgets to buy.

... and presumably, you want someone to talk to on it with yours...? [:p]

Yes! In fact I need more than one person, so I can do that fancy trick where it shows the two people side by side at a slight angle and reflects the images in the "floor". Neat stuff.

BTW, having Skyped friends using the internal mic on a PB and iBook, it seems the echo cancellation isn't very good which can be irritating. I use a Bluetooth headset with my Mac Mini which is pretty unbeatable (and of course, very easy to set up).

[preiffer]

Originally posted by onionz
Yes! In fact I need more than one person, so I can do that fancy trick where it shows the two people side by side at a slight angle and reflects the images in the "floor". Neat stuff.

Right. Need to get one just to do the splitscreen trick. (Assuming you mean the one that Steve J did when he announced the new iMac?)

Can we start a campaign to get everyone on here iSighted-up, do you think?

Originally posted by preiffer

Originally posted by onionz
Yes! In fact I need more than one person, so I can do that fancy trick where it shows the two people side by side at a slight angle and reflects the images in the "floor". Neat stuff.

Right. Need to get one just to do the splitscreen trick. (Assuming you mean the one that Steve J did when he announced the new iMac?)

Not sure - can't check the speech now cos the net connection at work is having a hard time with it, but he definitely did it when he launched iChat AV a while back and everyone in the audience went "ooooooooooh".

Can we start a campaign to get everyone on here iSighted-up, do you think?

I think so, although please bear in mind there is a pro-Windows faction round these parts who will inevitably throw a spanner in the works .

Let me know when you have yours so you, me and Derby Dave can give it a go.

Let me know when you have yours so you, me and Derby Dave can give it a go.

I've added my AIM address to my profile (and MSN for what it's worth!). Won't be about this evening though, work beckons... [:#]

Dave

[Scrooge]

Originally posted by onionz

Originally posted by preiffer

Originally posted by onionz
Yes! In fact I need more than one person, so I can do that fancy trick where it shows the two people side by side at a slight angle and reflects the images in the "floor". Neat stuff.

Right. Need to get one just to do the splitscreen trick. (Assuming you mean the one that Steve J did when he announced the new iMac?)

Not sure - can't check the speech now cos the net connection at work is having a hard time with it, but he definitely did it when he launched iChat AV a while back and everyone in the audience went "ooooooooooh".

Can we start a campaign to get everyone on here iSighted-up, do you think?

I think so, although please bear in mind there is a pro-Windows faction round these parts who will inevitably throw a spanner in the works .

Let me know when you have yours so you, me and Derby Dave can give it a go.

Just so you both know,im feeling very dirty right now,I broke down and bought an Ipod [:I]

[Pete]

Originally posted by onionz


Not sure - can't check the speech now cos the net connection at work is having a hard time with it, but he definitely did it when he launched iChat AV a while back and everyone in the audience went "ooooooooooh".

I was in that audience at MacWorld San Francisco at the Steve Jobs Keynote. And yes, I went "ooooooooooh" along with everyone else.

[preiffer]

The iPod isn't what makes you dirty - it's what you load on it


(Same goes for the iSight [:0])

[Scrooge]

Originally posted by preiffer
The iPod isn't what makes you dirty - it's what you load on it


(Same goes for the iSight [:0])

Well some of us are not like you....of course I am...but this is an x-mas gift for you know who

[RichardMannion]

Originally posted by derby_dave

iSight integrates beautifully with iChat, but that suffers from the ongoing battle between AIM & MSN. By that, I mean no-one I know uses it [ii], most folk seeming to go for MSN Messenger and 'never the twain shall meet' - leastways not yet. (LRoM, any comment?)

The twain has been broken.. they will co-exist but you need to have LCS running in your environment:
http://www.microsoft.com/office/livecom ... licim.mspx

LCS is a corp based solution using a pro SIP client (Office Communicator).

Thanks,
Richard

Hot news from the Skype camp: video calling is now supported using the latest (beta) version of the software.

Have a look at the Skype community page.

No Mac version as of yet, but they promise it's on the way. Should hopefully support the iSight.

[Scrooge]

I just use this plugin when using skype http://www.video4im.com

[preiffer]

Originally posted by RichardMannion
The twain has been broken.. they will co-exist but you need to have LCS running in your environment:
http://www.microsoft.com/office/livecom ... licim.mspx

LCS is a corp based solution using a pro SIP client (Office Communicator).

Hmm. While potentially a good step forward for an office environment, unless I'm missing something this means Dave, Jason and I would need our own server (with per user licenses) to be able to video-chat to MSN people on our Macs?

Seems a little OTT on the surface [?]

We just need a version of MSN that works with an iSight...

(Can Jim Bill fix it for us?)

[RichardMannion]

Maybe

Thanks,
Richard

[Pete]

Well, I got an iSight in my stocking this morning, so I just need to test it out with someone in iChat now