Introduction

 When Graham Bell invented the telephone he surely didn’t imagine all the applications that could result from this creation. Not only did the phone let us communicate using the most intuitive and natural apparatus (our voice), but because of this we can also share data, videos, faxes and much more. When the Internet emerged a new generation of devices dedicated to share videos over a regular Internet connection appeared. Web cams debuted in 1995: at this time they were slow and only able to capture black and white movies, but like everything else the technology used by these peripherals has dramatically evolved. Logitech, the well-known Swiss founded company, started to manufacture their own web cams before they bought Connectix, the makers of the QuickCam series of web cams. The latest web cam from Logitech, the Logitech ClickSmart 510, is much more than a simple web cam. In fact it combines a web cam and a megapixel digital camera into a single device.

Installation

   First you have to know that the ClickSmart 510 device is designed to work solely under Windows 98, 98SE, Me, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. It doesn’t work with Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0. Your computer should also feature a free USB port with sufficient power so you can plug in the camera. Installing the Logitech ClickSmart 510 on your PC is quite simple. You just have to insert four batteries into the device so you can use the digital camera mode when the device isn’t connected to the computer. Then all you have to do is to plug a USB cable from your computer to the camera. In a few seconds Microsoft Windows XP will detect a new device and prompt you to install new drivers. Now you’ll have to insert the QuickCam 6.0 drivers CD to install the Logitech ClickSmart 510 and applications. Once the drivers are installed you will have to reboot your computer so the changes can take effect. When the computer restarts the Logitech installation wizard will appear to help you configure your web cam. It’ll ask you to plug (or replug) the camera to your USB port so the Windows drivers can be installed and when it’s done, it tests the camera by showing on your screen live video of what the camera sees! Finally if the image isn’t good you can tweak some settings to make the video look perfect.  

Logitech ClickSmart 510 (click to enlarge)