Creative PC-CAM 880

Hardware - Sam gets snap-happy with this webcam/digicam from Creative.

I'm going to assume that you all know of the benefits of digital cameras; the ease of use, the cost savings and the ability to easily share your pictures with anybody else with a computer. I'm also going to assume that most of don't actually own one yet as they do tend to cost a pretty penny. I'm also going to take it for granted that you are familiar with the concept of webcams, those devices that resemble giant gobstoppers which allow you to wave at friends in Messenger or spy on what the occupants of Tokyo or Boolawanga are up to every 30 seconds. And if the contacts on my Messenger list are anything to go by, most of you probably haven't got one of these perched atop your monitor either. Unless you've gotten one free with your system or bought one to broadcast your pretty face to the connected world most people don't seem to think they are worth the outlay. Well, courtesy of Creative I bring the PC-CAM 880 to your attention, a nifty web/digicam combination that gives you all the functionality of a webcam in a box that can be unplugged and carried around to be used as a digital camera. The two birds with one stone approach.

The unit itself looks very similar to those disposable cameras that can be picked up at Boots for under a tenner. Small and light, it is about the size of a pack of cigarettes, a silver and black plastic pack that is. It comes with a built in flash and a 2.3x3.2cm LCD screen and there's a little slider beside the lens for switching the focus between distant and close-up. It has a D-pad for flicking through the different functions and options. Together with the power button and another button for switching between camera and preview in Digicam mode or active/inactive in Webcam mode this is the sum of all the bits that adorn the fascia. The D-pad is somewhat wobbly but precise, whereas the LCD is bright and amply proportioned, but due to the way it's raised out from the camera's body it is liable to get scratched easily. It can however be switched off to preserve battery power, a bloody good idea as I was to find out.

The PC-CAM 880 lives on two AA batteries but takes its power from the USB when it's in webcam mode. Which is a blessing as it would otherwise quickly become prohibitively expensive to run. There's a USB connector for all your transfer needs, and Creative have thoughtfully supplied a video output connector for direct connection to a TV set. Although the 16MB of installed memory is quite restrictive there's a standard SD slot for adding your own memory cards, giving the camera a potentially huge capacity. As the camera can take pictures in up to 2048x1536 resolution as well as take video in either 320 or 640 anyone who buys this will quickly want to install that extra memory. The whole thing is driven by a 2 megapixel CMOS sensor, which can give up to 3 megapixels interpolated. There's also a 4x digital zoom built in.

For your money you also get a bunch of software. The Creative disc will slowly install the drivers, then give you the option to install a rudimentary manual, a task bar utility to monitor whether the camera is plugged in or not and the Creative Cam-Centre, an ugly little application that allows you to change the Webcam settings and build up picture and video albums. On top of that there's another CD which comes filled with five other apps, including Arcsoft's Photoimpression and Funhouse. These all seemed to be aimed at kiddies and/or their parents and lasted just long enough on my hard drive for me to decide that they were crap and an insult to my PC's hardcoreness. But hey, they are free. Inside the box there are a whole host of other goodies. Inside there were two Energizer batteries, a video cable, USB cable, leather effect case, strap, swivel stand, and a chunky, multilanguage manual, although manual is a generous word. Idiot sheet may be more apt.