Hook up and look homeward

By PAUL BRISLEN

The hardest thing about working in an office is missing out on what my family is up to each day.

So it was with great anticipation that I opened up the box from Vialta with its Beamer 80 video phone.

The beauty of the Beamer is you don't need a PC, web camera or a broadband internet connection, just a normal everyday phone line.

But that is also its drawback - video conferencing usually needs a lot of bandwidth to make the video part look smooth and realistic.

Rather than video-quality images, the Beamer delivers a series of still lifes with something of a lag between voice and movement.

But that's not really the point. With very little effort you can be talking and looking at the same time, and that's powerful.

Each Beamer unit plugs into the power supply and into the back of any Telecom phone.

You don't need software or anything special - it's all in the box. The device has three buttons and a brightness control. That's all there is to it.

When you call someone else with a unit it makes the connection, and up on the screen pops whoever is at the other end. Best of all, the Beamer is sold in pairs so you can leave one at home and take the other to the office.


We tested the Beamer across the office, and it worked fine with only a small lag between video and sound.

But across the city, the difference was distinctly noticeable. On the plus side, the system worked despite the switchboard and office phone system. It also worked with cordless phones.

I can see this appealing to business travellers or even those forced to work in the city.

The biggest drawback is the price - a pair of Beamers costs $1399, and additional units are $749. At that price, I'd probably be thinking about buying a web cam for the PC instead.

Beamer in brief

Pros: Easy to set up, easy to use, doesn't need a PC or broadband connection.

Cons: Jerky image, delay between voice and image, costly.

Price: $1399 including GST, additional units $749.

Rating: 6 out of 10.