It's always nice to see manufacturers that have a specific product range develop something that combines their domain of expertise with something new. Getting directly to the point, the manufacturer is Blue Microphones and the product it has come up with lately is the EyeBall 2.0.

The EyeBall is one impressive webcam that delivers high quality audio and 2-megapixel video. Coming in a portable format, the gadget sports Blue's neat design and sound quality. Since Blue's domain of expertise is microphones, the EyeBall encases the famous pro-quality condenser capsule that ensures better sound that any webcam currently on the market.

Speaking of design, the first thing you'll notice is the big metallic grill - the microphone. The camera features a retractable architecture that gives the user ease of privacy, as well as turning the camera off when not broadcasting, while the custom designed monitor adapter makes the EyeBall easy to mount on any given laptop or desktop monitor. As mentioned above, the microphone is a condenser capsule that boasts a pressure gradient with USB digital output. Its polar patterns are of cardioid type, which means the microphone has a somewhat upside down shaped directivity.

The sample rate is set at 44.1kHz over 16bit, while the frequency response goes from 35Hz to 20,000Hz. Aside from that, the camera outputs a Super HD video size of up to 1600 x 1200; sadly, the stated frame rate of up to 30fps will only be available for 640 x 480, and the manufacturer also says it's system dependent, so you might as well not have the full frames per second.

Installation is a seamless driver-free plug & play over Windows and Mac computers. The package includes the EyeBall 2.0 webcam, a monitor adapter and a USB cable. All that for the price of $79.99.


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