Microsoft Shows Off New LifeCam HD-3000

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Ah, the webcam. The tool from which video chats and liveblogs have emerged doesn’t get a lot of play these days, but with the introduction of a new one from the folks out at Microsoft–the LifeCam HD-3000–perhaps it should.

Microsoft likes to talk webcams, trying to compare them against texting and phone calls, and there’s a good reason; this one’s going to go a long way toward putting video conferencing into the hands of most anybody.

The LifeCam HD-3000 is packing a 720p HD sensor, TrueColor technology for better image replication, a 16 : 9 widescreen aspect ratio, a universal attachment base, a noise-canceling microphone (which is terribly important when you’re trying to shoot video in most any environment–you’d be amazed how many pops and hisses and scrapes can get in the way of the points you’re trying to make), and optimization that allows it to play nice with most of the major messengers (AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, and Windows Live Messenger) and of course, Skype, meaning that you’ll be able to get in on video calling assuming your internet connection has sufficient bandwidth to handle it. It fits all this in a package only 4.3 inches tall, so there’s no worry about this getting in the way when you go to record.

You’re definitely getting a lot out of this package here, but the best part is the price and availability. You’ll be able to get hands on a LifeCam HD-3000 starting next month, and you’ll only have to drop $39.95 to do so, meaning your wait will be about as short as the tab if you go this route.

That sounds like nothing so much as a great combination of decent pricing and solid feature array. Sure, it may not be as robust as some, but for those looking for video and little more, you should have most everything you want right here.