The Skype service is rapidly gaining more users for its Internet based audio and video chats. A few weeks ago, its new owners at Microsoft claimed that Skype generated 115 billion minutes worth of calls in the April-June quarter, up 50 percent from the year before. Now Logitech is jumping onto the Skype bandwagon with the announcement today of its new TV Cam HD camera, which includes support for Skype. The camera has both WiFi and Ethernet support for connecting to a home network, along with an HDMI port for connecting to most HD televisions. The camera has a Carl Zeiss-made wide angle lens that's designed to get a group of people in one shot. It also has four microphones and a ringer that goes off whether the TV is turned on or off. Logitech will sell the Skype-based TV Cam HD later this month in the US for $199.99; it will be released in Europe in September.
A little pricey, but it does look pretty interesting, especially being a self-contained wireless (sans HDMI) unit.