Introduction: Ultra Vision SE

Sometimes being involved with technology makes me remember back to when I was a young child watching Sci-Fi movies. Hollywood tried its very best to help make our dreams of the future unfold into a silver screen reality. One of the most popular ideas, at least the most likely to become a reality, was the video phone. In the late 1960's (and a decade before my time), AT&T demonstrated the Picturephone prior to introducing it for public sale in the early 1970's. Back then, telephones still had dials, and video meant a television set smaller than most monitors reading this article today. However, due to corporate problems the Picturephone project never saw broad distribution beyond a few major east coast cities before ultimately fading away. Without being old enough to know it, the future came and just as quickly it had passed.

The video communications project would be reborn again in the mid 1990's: this time as AT&T's VideoPhone. Again it suffered from horrible public reviews; the experience was poor at best and the price was too high for most consumers. This once Sci-Fi technology would become a reality done several times over, with the idea still fascinating among a small group of (usually corporate) people. And so technology evolves, and another decade passes.

Just as early as the VideoPhone was breathing its last breath, the webcam was making headlines. Of course, those early headlines were usually (and rightfully) associated with the pornography industry, since there weren't too many people willing to look at choppy video for any other reason. But once again, technology (dial-up Internet) was crippling the idea. It would have to wait until the turn of the century before people would finally give Webcams, grandson of the PicturePhone, its day.

Perhaps the time has finally come; or perhaps it has already returned and we are in the middle of the third act. Either way, the World Wide Web introduced the most recent vision of the video communications: the aptly named Webcam. Logitech, one of the industries pioneering forces, has constantly offered consumers reliable peripheral solutions. In this review, Benchmark Reviews will evaluate the progression of technology into a product which hopes to establish itself as the pinnacle of PicturePhone evolution: Logitech's QuickCam Ultra Vision Special Edition Webcam.

Enthusiasts will enjoy true-to-life video calls with twice the image clarity of conventional Webcams, thanks to the precision-engineered, 5-element glass lens. QuickCam Ultra Vision uses Logitech RightLight2 Technology to give you the highest quality image regardless of your lighting, and RightSound for clear, echo-free audio. It´s video calling that truly is true-to-life.

About the Company: Logitech

Logitech is a world leader in personal peripherals, driving innovation in PC navigation, Internet communications, digital music, home-entertainment control, gaming and wireless devices. The company's products combine essential core technologies, continuing innovation, award-winning industrial design and excellent price performance.

Logitech International is a Swiss public company traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange under the symbol LOGN and on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol LOGI. In January 2007, Logitech was added to the NASDAQ-100 Index.

Logitech's origins lie in the OEM sector, which remains an important part of its business, and represented 11.6 percent of the company's total sales in Fiscal 2006. To meet the demands of its OEM customer base, which includes most of the world's largest PC manufacturers, Logitech offers high-volume manufacturing with focused quality control, worldwide distribution and logistics, and the ability to leverage its infrastructure under changing demand conditions.

Logitech continues to broaden its product offering and its presence in the retail sector. This is fueled by a trend among consumers to enhance their basic PC systems with more fully featured personal peripherals that add functionality and cordless freedom to their desktops. They are also purchasing supplementary devices designed for new applications and specific purposes such as gaming, multimedia, or audio and visual communication over the Internet. Further, Logitech's retail business includes personal peripherals for platforms beyond the PC, such as gaming consoles, portable music players, mobile phones and home-entertainment systems.

Today, Logitech's retail business accounts for 88.4 percent of its revenue. To provide the market with a broadening array of best-of-category products, Logitech's business model calls for supplementing its internal engineering and manufacturing strength with additional products and technologies through a combination of strategic acquisitions and industry partnerships.

More information about Logitech is available on their company website.

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