Video is its own killer app

2006-03-07

I've just installed the latest edition of Skype - which incorporates video. Despite spending (aka wasting) a few hours trying to work out why my video camera didn't work - before remembering I had to reset the laptop motherboard (thanks Sony) - the whole thing was remarkably seamless. I then set it up on one of the home desktops, and my daughter Sophie and I spent a happy, if random half hour testing the thing. Think - Dad wandering around house with laptop, Sophie zooming in on her nostrils, you get the picture.

But it works, its simple and straightforward and it will be an invaluable tool for those home calls when I'm out of the country. Already I felt more connected, in a nice way. Of course its been possible for years - but with Skype's critical mass, USB and broadband, the barriers to entry have lowered. Expect it soon on a console near you.