Webcam

Yahoo releases Messenger security update

On Tuesday, Yahoo released an updated version of Yahoo Messenger, designed to patch a vulnerability in the Webcam feature first exploited last week.

The China-based exploit causes a heap overflow to be triggered when the target accepts a Webcam invitation. After opening an invitation, a remote attacker could execute malicious code on a compromised machine.

Users who downloaded or had installed Yahoo Messenger prior to August 21 should update to the latest version, Yahoo Messenger version 8.1.0.416.

Don't try a staring contest with this Webcam

The invasion of eyeball-shaped alien gadgets continues unabated. And the Webcam variety, in particular, is getting more brazen all the time.

They no longer bother with thinly veiled disguises; now they're coming out of their unholy closets in full ocular glory, as evidenced by Envision's "V-Cam." This orbital creature looks exactly like a giant eye staring you down with nary a blink as it transmits 1.3-megapixel video and 4-megapixel still shots with a five-glass lens and automatic face detection.

Although its specs aren't extraordinary, SlipperyBrick says its $50 price tag is reasonable if it … Read more

Speaker system looks like a blast

Boynq, the company that may have the best name in all of the Netherlands, actually debuted this fashion-conscious multi-tasking speaker system earlier in the year at CES, but it's worth noting again now that it's finally arriving on the market.

Along with its "Audio Lens Technology" surround sound, the strangely named "Alibi" includes a microphone and a Webcam peeking out of the top, with an ingeniously situated volume control in the form of a silver band that looks like a girdle tightened around its waist. We were sold on this adornment based on its … Read more

Eyeball Webcam grows limbs

We always suspected it was true, and now we have confirmation: Alien eyeballs are invading the planet. There have been all manner of thinly veiled ocular disguises, ranging from loudspeakers to super magnifiers, but the true masterminds have taken the form of Webcams.

The indisputable proof? An appendaged speciman of an eyeball Webcam has been photographed and posted on Tokyomango, masquerading as a replica of a Japanese ghost named "Medama no Oyaji" who, oddly enough, walks around naked and "speaks in a really high voice." (We hope those two characteristics aren't related.) Come to think … Read more

Webcam dolls look like they're for kids

As much as we liked the "Happy Kid" and "Bubble Head" Webcams, this one has gone too far. The oddly named "GeekPark" USB Webcam (a play on South Park?) is basically the Cabbage Patch equivalent of computer peripherals. The pint-sized dolls have adjustable heads, legs and arms, as well as a camera lense embedded in their torsos.

Perhaps the strangest thing of all is their individual names--"Ms. B," "Mr. G," et al--which are remind us of "Mr. Pink" and "Mr. Brown" from Reservoir Dogs. Which … Read more

Webcam or venomous serpent?

Some of us at Crave will fully admit to being suckers for the sleek designs of many Philips products, but we must part ways with the fashion-conscious European in this one instance, for it has apparently joined ranks with the Webcam creature brigade. The 1.3-megapixel SPC520NC and SPC220NC (catchy!) may be easy to use, as Tech Digest says, but we think they look more like a cobra ready to strike--and that's the last thing we want to have perched in front of our faces all day. Or maybe it just means we've been watching way too many … Read more

CNET Live - Episode 6

Had a great time on CNET Live even when the spirits of evil grabbed Cooley's website of the week and twisted it until dead. Great thanks to Ashwin Navin, President of BitTorrent for coming on the show. Here are some helpful links to go along with what we discussed.

Watch Episode 6

Things we Crave

A gadget for germaphobes in space

Motorola Q 9 headed for Italy first; calls out iPhone

Download of the Week

Plasma Pong 1.2

Best of the Web

Sneak peak at Mogulus: new live blogging platform

Calls

Fixing the GIMP - Try to delete … Read more

'Clip Cam' is a clothespin for flat monitors

It's can't compare with the "Happy Kids" Webcam in our opinion, but Brando's "USB Crystal Clip Cam" definitely seems versatile with its 180-degree rotation. Plus, the wide clip would make it pretty easy to position along the edges of any LCD monitor or laptop screen, and the camera has built-in LEDs to illuminate your night-vision chatting, though that's still more than we want to know. It won't be winning any awards for aesthetics, nor will its specs produce the best-quality photography, but at $18.50, it's hard to complain.

Unclear on the concept: Night-vision Webcam

So let's get this straight: Night-vision devices are supposed to help you see things in the dark, like those night dart launchers, right? Not the other way around? That's what we thought, anyway, so we have no idea why anyone would want a "Night Vision WebCam."

This 1.3-megapixel camera has six infra-red LED bulbs "to light any video conversation no matter how dark the conditions may be," Coolest-Gadgets says. Silly us--we would have just turned on a lamp.

Maybe this would be useful in a dorm if you're trying not to wake … Read more