Skype and Logitech (SWX:LOGN) (NASDAQ:LOGI), the world´s leading
manufacturer of webcams, today announced a collaboration to deliver a
new standard of video calls over the Internet: High Quality Video.
With High Quality Video on Skype(TM), people worldwide can enjoy free
video calls that are sharper and smoother than ever before. The
experience is so good, it might be better than being there.
"This is a major leap in the clarity and smoothness of free video
calls over the Internet," said Gareth O´Loughlin, Skype´s general
manager, mobile and hardware devices. "High Quality Video is a
tremendous opportunity to delight our more than 246 million users and
take their Skype experience to a whole new level. One in four Skype
calls already involve video, so we know our users love to show and not
just tell. High Quality Video will take Skype conversations to a whole
new level of realism. In the past, only big businesses could afford
this kind of video quality. It´s now time to take it to everyone
else."
"High Quality Video takes all the promises of video calling -
staying connected with family and friends, traveling the world without
a suitcase and increasing collaboration among colleagues spread across
a global network - and dramatically enhances the quality of the
experience," said Gina Clark, general manager and vice president of
Logitech´s Internet Communications business unit. "Once people start
enjoying High Quality Video at VGA resolution and 30 frames per second
- a level of quality that is sharper and smoother than we´ve ever seen
on Skype before - it will quickly become an indispensable way to stay
connected."
About High Quality Video
Whether it´s a father reading a book to his kids back home while
he travels for work, grandchildren giving their grandparents a
close-up view of their first lost tooth, or colleagues connecting
across continents to discuss a business proposal, High Quality Video
offers image-perfect detail and clarity to help people connect better
with their friends and families, co-workers and clients - without
having to buy and install expensive video-conferencing equipment.
High Quality Video (Skype 3.6 for Windows and Logitech QuickCam(R)
software, version 11.5) brings VGA-quality video calls
(640-by-480-pixels) at up to 30 frames per second (fps) to people
using a broadband connection (384 kbps connection or higher), a High
Quality Video-certified Logitech webcam and a PC with a dual-core
processor. Both parties require minimum system requirements to
experience High Quality Video. As a result, people can enjoy
significantly sharper, smoother video calls in full-screen mode.
A collaborative effort between Logitech and Skype, the High
Quality Video experience is created through Skype software, Logitech
webcams, and a fully redesigned set of drivers in the QuickCam
software, all optimized to work together in a way never achieved
before. Logitech´s new webcam drivers are specially tuned to recognize
callers who have the new Skype software.
Logitech Webcams Certified for High Quality Video
High Quality Video on Skype is available with the following
premium Logitech webcams: the Logitech(R) QuickCam(R) Pro 9000, the
Logitech(R) QuickCam(R) Pro for Notebooks and the Logitech(R)
QuickCam(R) Orbit AF (Logitech(R) QuickCam(R) Sphere AF in Europe).
All three High Quality Video-certified webcams offer a Carl Zeiss
lens and a premium autofocus system for fast, fluid focusing that
helps eliminate the inconvenience of manual focusing. Logitech´s
autofocus system refocuses images in less than three seconds and helps
ensure that images remain crisp even in extreme close-ups (up to 4
inches/10 cm from the camera lens).
For the office and the home, the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 comes
with a flexible universal base, which allows it to rest comfortably on
nearly any monitor. For the on-the-go professional, the Logitech
QuickCam Pro for Notebooks is sold with a protective travel case and
an adjustable, spring-tension clip that accommodates even large
laptops with panels up to 20 mm thick. The QuickCam Orbit AF webcam
can cover 190 horizontal degrees and 100 vertical degrees of a room
and offers a unique pan-and-tilt tracking technology.
Pricing and Availability
Skype 3.6 for Windows is expected to be available as a free
download at skype.com in November and will support 28 languages. The
Logitech QuickCam Software version 11.5 is available now for free
download at www.logitech.com/downloads.
The Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 and Logitech QuickCam Pro for
Notebooks webcams are available now worldwide for a suggested retail
price of $99.99 (U.S.). The Logitech QuickCam Orbit AF (QuickCam
Sphere AF) is available now worldwide for a suggested retail price of
$129.99 (U.S.). The webcams are also available for purchase at
www.skype.com/shop.
About Skype
Skype sets the standard in providing new and easy ways to stay in
touch over the internet. Millions of people every day make free
Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls and send instant messages using
our software. Some pay a little per minute for long-distance and
international calls to phones and mobiles and for SMS, voicemail and
call forwarding, or they buy subscriptions that give unlimited calls
nationwide.
We certify and sell hundreds of hardware products from more than
50 partners and work with third-party developers to create software to
extend Skype´s functionality. Skype has been downloaded more than half
a billion times and over 246 million people from almost every corner
of the globe have registered.
Skype is an eBay company (NASDAQ:EBAY), and you can learn more and
get Skype at www.skype.com.
Make your world a smaller place: talk, share and do more with
Skype.
About Logitech
Logitech is a world leader in personal peripherals, driving
innovation in PC navigation, Internet communications, digital music,
home-entertainment control, gaming and wireless devices. Founded in
1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company traded on the
SWX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market
(LOGI).
Skype, SkypeIn, SkypeOut, Skype Me, Skype Certified, Skypecasts,
associated logos and the "S" symbol are trademarks of Skype Limited.
Access to a broadband Internet connection is required for Skype and
all Skype Certified devices and accessories. Skype is not a
replacement for your traditional telephone service and cannot be used
for emergency calling.
Logitech, the Logitech logo, and other Logitech marks are
registered in the United States and other countries. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more
information about Logitech and its products, visit the company´s Web
site at www.logitech.com.
(LOGI - IR)