The holidays may be almost over, but there's still a great gift coming our way. We're not even supposed to know about it, but the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) -- which is still in the process of approving this product -- has leaked some details on its website. A tech blog called engadget.com promptly reported the find.

For the majority of the population, the InPerson WiFi videophone developed by Creative is a wireless video conferencing solution. For those of us who are deaf and hard of hearing, however, it's almost like a mobile videophone. It's small enough to easily be carried - possibly even in a pocket.

It'll be quite a difference from lugging that computer around to video chat. Just think of the possibilities. You can bring this to work, to a friend's house, or anywhere that has certain types of wireless access. The person you're talking to doesn't even have to have this device, as long as he or she has an account with SightSpeed, which it appears is required to use the device. This is like iChat or AIM Video Chat, but with some additional features.

It might be possible to maneuver around the locked-in service limitation -- if the other party has Windows and Internet Explorer -- which could be useful in an office environment. SightSpeed provides a webpage so non-members can initiate a video call to you.

One possible downside is that InPerson's manual suggests that it won't work at WiFi locations that have a website payment front end, like Starbucks and many hotels.

Computer based SightSpeed users have video mail (like voice mail). Alas, there's no indication that the InPerson supports this. Still, you could certainly check your missed messages when you return to your computer. It also might not have a vibrate alert -- which could be a deal breaker for some people -- unless you're willing to leave it on the table next to you or in some other line of sight location.

InPerson can behave like a VOIP phone, like Vonage. This isn't a big deal for us, but may make the product more attractive to our hearing peers and family members. The upshot is this isn't a great product for all users, but it's a good start. It could be a killer product in certain scenarios, say, if you worked in a large complex or warehouse and wanted to be reachable by more than just text.

Creative was caught off guard, so a couple of key details are mysterious. The biggest of which are: when will this be released, and how much will it cost us?

© Copyrighted material, used by permission. This article can not be copied, reproduced, or redistributed without the express written consent of the author. Author's views not necessarily those of i711.com.

View Comments  |  Add Comment  |   Email this Article