Extraterrestrial Biological Entities may not be keen on communicating via Skype, Google Chat or Yahoo! Messenger, but if this situation ever changes, it might be a good idea to keep the Star Trek webcam handy.
If you happen to be a Trekkie that does not want to own any gadget unless it resembles something from your favorite sci-fi series, then this webcam is definitely for you. Shaped as the USS Enterprise, this device will help you stay in touch with your friends, and in case you survive a close encounter, it will facilitate communication with your fellows from other planets, too.
The USS Enterprise Starship webcam is a plug and play USB device. Thus far, there is nothing unusual about that, as all modern webcams communicate with your PC via that interface. Judging by the above picture, the cable seems rather sturdy, so I doubt it will deteriorate in a short period of time. Despite being very sturdy, the USB cable is quite flexible, allowing users to conveniently place the webcam wherever they want.
The box the webcam comes in features Captain Kirk, Spock and Doctor McCoy. It’s good to see that the manufacturer didn’t use the ones from the more recent (and more disappointing) movies. However, there might be some setbacks to this camera, as the manufacturer claims it works with most (but not all) video chat facilities. For your sake (and the one of the aliens!), make sure that you don’t use any exotic IM client.
One of the things that concerned me is that the USS Enterprise Starship webcam is rather inconspicuous. Fortunately, the engine nacelles light up whenever the webcam is plugged in. It would have been even better if the LEDs were turned on upon initiating a video call on any of the aforementioned IM clients. Still, it is a good thing that they light up at all, since the camera could have been disguised as a toy otherwise and used for malevolent purposes.
The Star Trek webcam is sold on Boy Stuff, a website from the UK, for £39.95 (approximately $65). Given that there are no specs on the aforementioned site, I am led to believe that this is yet another gadget that promotes design over function.
Jokes aside, if you decide to buy this Star Trek webcam, you had better use it for communicating with friends and family, rather than with strangers. This is a precaution measure that everyone should use on the Internet, especially teenagers and youngsters.
If you liked this post, please check these 18 geeky and funny webcams and this cool aluminium webcam.
