Creative Labs Says Skip the Flight and Still Be There inPerson

6 August 2008
By Frank Ohlhorst


Creative Labs gets creative with its all-in-one inPerson videoconferencing solution and service.

Now that the airlines are charging for pillows, blankets and luggage, all of the fun of air travel has vanished. Today's travelers are rewarded with fuel surcharges, additional fees and frequent delays. Creative Labs wants to put an end to that business travel suffering with its unique videoconferencing solution, aptly named inPerson.

Creative Labs' product is more than just a slick piece of equipment: The company has jumped into the services realm by pairing a device with a hosted service that promises to keep costs low for users, while generating ongoing revenue for partners.


The device

The physical representation of the inPerson comes in the form of a nifty videophone that incorporates an amazingly sharp 7-inch LCD along with a CMOS color VGA camera and a noise-canceling microphone. At first glimpse, users will be impressed with the build quality and professional look of the product, and they should be, considering the unit's list price of $700. The company also offers a package deal for $860, which includes an accessory kit and one year's worth of service.

Connectivity comes in the form of a wired 10/100 Base-T Ethernet connection, or better yet, an 802.11b/g wireless connection. It is important to note that the unit also sports a built-in rechargeable battery that when paired with Wi-Fi makes the device totally portable. Simply put, anywhere you have a Wi-Fi Internet connection, you can have a video conference.

It's clear that Creative Labs put a lot of thought into the device. Users will find features that can enhance any video conference. For example, the unit features an SD Card Slot, which allows images (or video) to be incorporated into a conference. Automatic white balance and exposure helps to reduce the chance that callers look like zombies-or something worse. The unit also features AV and audio connectors, which allow various video and audio devices to be connected. Of course, the unit includes what one would expect in a phone also, such as a keypad, mute button, volume control and so on. Those using the unit with a projector and other external devices will appreciate the full function remote control that allows presenters to keep their distance, yet not give up any functionality.

When tested, we found the unit very easy to use and we were impressed by the quality of the video and audio. Under our test 802.11g connection, we experienced very little jitter and a consistent frame rate. The unit worked equally well under both AC and battery power, along with wired and wireless connectivity. From a device standpoint, Creative Labs has truly made video conferencing a no-brainer.

The service

With the launch of inPerson, Creative Labs forged a relationship with Broadxent to build a voice/video-over-IP network to support the inPerson videophone. Currently, the service is focused on allowing inPerson units and compatible devices to communicate with each other. Testing showed that the service is quite reliable and easy to set up with the inPerson units. One notable option is the ability to use a "soft" videophone, appropriately named "inPerson for PC." The softphone requires a Webcam and audio support for the PC, and runs under windows Vista and XP.

Creating ad hoc phone calls is quite easy with the service; users can simply e-mail a custom URL to the other party and the call can be connected via a browser. The service also allows inPerson users to create video broadcasts to multiple viewers-basically an on-the-spot video demo.

At this time, the service only offers support for inPerson point-to-point calls. In the near future, Creative Labs has promised to offer access to the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) service for traditional calls to land-line and cell phones. A multipoint control unit service is also in the works, which will allow groups of users to communicate during a single videophone conference.

At an initial price of just $10 per month, the service is affordable. Of course, Creative Labs will also offer multiuser packages and other service plans that can lower the overall price of the service or add additional features.

When it comes down to the bottom line, Creative Labs' entry into the video conferencing world has been well-executed and can only get better with time.