Hasta La Gadget!

Logitech’s PR machine is on the loose this morning, trying to dampen expectations before the company announces its quarterly financial results later in the day. The key message is that we shouldn’t expect any great shakes from the video conferencing side of the business. In fact, there’ll be a $211 million charge against earnings, which is big enough to wipe out the previous quarter’s income four times over, and which stems entirely from this source of pain:

“The enterprise video conferencing industry has experienced a slowdown in recent quarters and consequently, through this period, the video conferencing unit has not sustained the growth Logitech originally anticipated.”

That’s a blanket statement, describing a whole section of the industry and not just pinning the blame on LifeSize, the video conferencing company that Logitech picked up in 2009 for $405 million. It so happens that Polycom and Cisco have also reported ongoing slides in video conferencing sales, so Logitech’s explanation is entirely justified — not that it makes the LifeSize acquisition look any smarter.

Filed under: Peripherals, Internet

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Source: Reuters

Logitech has outed a new keyboard, the UC Solution for Cisco 725-C, complete with dedicated VoIP controls and a caller ID display. The new ‘board – which Logitech says pairs up neatly with its C920-C webcam and M525-C wireless mouse – is designed specifically to work with Cisco’s Jabber service, allowing users to throw out their desk phone and instead handle incoming and outgoing calls, voicemails, and more from their PC peripherals.

Dedicated buttons for answering/ending calls as well as muting are present, with illumination so that you can be alerted to an incoming call even if you have the volume shut off. The voicemail button also lights up when there are new messages.

As for the other companion peripherals, the M525-C mouse comes with one of Logitech’s Unifying receiver dongles, which can plug directly into the K725-C keyboard, and has a scroll wheel and rubberized grips. The C920-C webcam can handle up to 1080p video at 30fps, and includes stereo microphones and onboard H.264 encoding for reducing computer processor strain.

Obviously you’ll need a Jabber system in order for the bundle to be any use to you, but we can envisage Logitech developing another version of the keyboard targeting home users instead, perhaps with Skype controls instead. As for the K725-C, that’ll land in March 2013 priced at $269.99, complete with both webcam and mouse, while the C920-C webcam will also be sold separately at $109.99.

Logitech K725-C keyboard adds VoIP Caller ID screen and controls is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve got an odd assortment of accessories for you to peek at here, most of them being cases and protections of different sorts for some of the more popular devices on the market – but there are some weird bits as well. It’s really difficult to go entirely wrong with accessories for your gift-getting-buddies as long as you know which device you’re accessorizing – and if you’re accessorizing an Apple device, it’ll be like hitting the broad side of a barn! There are so many Apple device accessories out there you’ll have an intensely difficult time not happening upon a collection at any accessory-laden store you head to. We’ve got some gems for you here, that’s for sure.

The folks at Spigen SGP have come correct time after time after time this year with accessories that several SlashGear editors are still currently using on the regular. We saw winners everywhere from the Crumena leather pouch for the HTC One X to the double-dose of Galaxy S III cases that just started the flood. What Spigen SGP really brings the fire with – and something we basically guarantee will make your gift-opener say “oh this is weird and awesome” is the glass cover collection. It’s literally a pane of glass that protects the glass that’s already protecting your smartphone’s display – have a peek at our experience with the GLASt for iPad as well as the GLASt and Ultimate Class for iPhone 4S, not to mention the brand new GLAS.tR for iPhone 5 – they make a beastly collection of Galaxy S III screen protectors as well – thick and curved, even!

Also for the iPhone 5 as well as the 4 and 4S you’ll want to peek at the super odd and undeniably cute LOOP Mummy case – out for iPhone 5 immediately if not soon, mind you. For the pop-top bottle lovers out there – root beer, of course – there’s intoxicase with built-in cap opener. The most unique back-plate protection we saw this year has to have been the SkinIt etched metal plate for the back of the iPhone 4S – weird and wild! Both the Acradie and the Element Case Vapor Dock are iPhone accessories you’ll not know how you lived without, and the lovely Brookstone HDMI Pocket Projector for your iOS devices will bring you hours of giant projected light joy.

As for the iPad and its accessory collection that simply does not stop, you’ll want to start with the most hardcore carrying case that exists for the beast – the G-Form Extreme Portfolio Case complete with massive drop-tests from many stories up above the surface of the earth. The folks at Griffin have been working with the designers at Threadless to create some lovely iPad cases too – though not exactly outer-space ready, if you’re in to that sort of thing. Both the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover and the Brookstone Bluetooth Keyboard Pro for iPad have been treating us well throughout the year. If you’re just in the market for a unique sort of stand for your tablet (and it doesn’t just have to be the iPad), you’ll want to check out the Octa iPad Whale Tail kit.

Another special mention goes out to Moshi, a brand we first laid eyes on earlier this year at CTIA 2012. The folks at Moshi create both accessories and stand-alone products that enhance your mobile experience as well as your notebook action, with everything from clear cases for your MacBook Air and iPad to a versatile collection of iPhone 5 cases of all shapes and sizes. They’re responsible for what was easily the most unique case/cover combo with the iGlaze Versacover for iPad – complete with magnets – and they’ve even got under-MacBook cooling fans, too – and they work well!

SlashGear 2012 Holiday Gift Guide: Accessories is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Logitech has announced that the Logitech Alert Commander application for Mac is now available to the public. As its name indicate Alert Commander is the “brains” of the surveillance setup and can turn a computer into a surveillance center capable of tracking many Logitech security cameras. This functionality was previously available only to Windows computers. The new app is compatible with all Logitech alert hardware and is a free program in the Mac App Store.

If you are not familiar with it, Alert Commander can display several real-time video streams, but also play back previously recorded videos. It supports a “pop-out” mode, in which a single window can be separated from the main app if you need to work with multiple windows. Motion Zones can be defined so that you get an alert only when something moves in that area. Alerts can also be sent via email or SMS. For those who have fancy cameras with Zoom, Pan and Tilt, Alert Commander has all those controls built-in. Watch the official Logitech video in the full post. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 Review [1080p + hardware H.264 ], Logitech updates iOS apps for Logitech Alert,

Logitech’s Alert camera system has given security to Android, BlackBerry, iOS and Windows users alike, yet there’s been a conspicuously Mac-shaped void in support. Logitech is plugging that hole with a native OS X version of its Alert Commander app. So long as Alert system owners are running Snow Leopard or later, they’ll have an Orwellian view of live and pre-recorded video feeds from as many as six of the HomePlug-connected cameras. The control extends to 16 motion-sensitive zones, digital zoom, backups and desktop notifications for when an intruder disturbs the peace. As the app itself is a free Mac App Store download, the only cost left is a recent camera array like the Alert 750n to keep track of home from a MacBook Air.

Continue reading Logitech Alert security cameras get OS X support for mindful MacBook owners

Filed under: Household, Software

Logitech Alert security cameras get OS X support for mindful MacBook owners originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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