Flexible LifeCams move with your life

Flexible LifeCams move with your life
With the LifeCam VX-5000, LifeCam VX-500 and LifeChat LX-2000 there’s no need to miss out on life’s precious moments.

AUCKLAND – 19 May, 2008 Microsoft New Zealand today announced that it is reshaping the webcam experience with the release of the LifeCam VX-5000.

This flexible LifeCam moves with your life, thanks to its flexible attachment base that moulds to virtually any surface — from a notebook to a desktop — so users can take it almost anywhere.

To match the fun experience the LifeCam VX-5000 delivers, the front of the webcam features a brightly coloured cool blue ring. Complementing this fresh new look, the LifeCam VX-5000 comes with MSN Photo Swap,1 allowing users to share digital photos mid-video conversation and see real-time reactions as both callers view the photos.

Microsoft also announced the release of the LifeCam VX-500 and the LifeChat LX-2000 — two affordable products, each with a unique, compact design. The LifeCam VX-500 is a versatile webcam designed to fit on notebooks and desktop PCs while the LifeChat LX-2000 is a full-size headset that folds down into a small, portable shape, making both of these products great for people on the go.

“The LifeCam VX-5000 is a fun new webcam that bends over backwards to fit in with the lives of our busy consumers,” says Danica Aitken, hardware product marketing manager, Microsoft New Zealand. “This flexible and powerful pocket-sized LifeCam is a great example of the changing face of online communication that helps people easily and cheaply stay in touch across the globe.”

Share those pics!
With the Photo Swap feature photographs being stored on home computers can come to life and be easily shared as a virtual photo album. Through the use of Windows Live Messenger, people can easily share their pictures via LifeCam and see reactions of family and friends in real time, helping bridge geographic divides.

See, Hear, Share — Easy as 1, 2, 3
Key features of the LifeCam VX-5000 include:
* Windows Live Call Button, located on top of the LifeCam, allows users to open their Contact Picker (a tool showing which contacts are currently online) with one touch, so they can quickly initiate video calls to friends and family.1
* LifeCam Dashboard incorporates full LifeCam navigational controls (pan, tilt, zoom, face tracking and Video Effects) within the Windows Live Messenger interface, enabling a seamless and easy navigating experience.1
* World-class VGA optics with a VGA sensor, 640x480 video resolution and 1.3-megapixel still photography (interpolated) offer high picture quality.
* Built-in unidirectional microphone with acoustic noise cancellation delivers crystal-clear audio.
* Pan, tilt and 3X digital zoom features allow users to adjust the image to see more clearly.

LifeCam VX-500 and LifeChat LX-2000
The LifeCam VX-500 makes it affordable to connect with family and friends though video and is designed to fit on notebooks and desktop PCs. With true VGA video, the LifeCam VX-500 enhances the webcam experience with brilliant video quality and its compact design allows for easy mobility.

The LifeChat LX-2000 is a full-size headset that is flexible enough to fold down into a small, portable shape, making it great for people on the go. This headset is perfect for music, gaming and online chatting and comes equipped with high-quality acoustics, delivering great sound and microphone capabilities at an affordable price.

The LifeCam VX-500 and the LifeChat LX-2000 can be easily used with many major instant messaging programs and the setup is quicker than ever, with no software needed.

Pricing and Availability
The blue LifeCam VX-5000 will be available in August 2008 for a recommended retail price of $99.2 The LifeCam VX-500 and LifeChat LX-2000 will be available in July 2008 for the following recommended retail prices:2
* Microsoft LifeCam VX-500 RRP $59
* Microsoft LifeChat LX-2000 RRP $49

ENDS

Visit the Microsoft New Zealand Hardware Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/nz/hardware/

About Microsoft Hardware
For 25 years, the Hardware Group has employed innovative engineering, cutting-edge industrial design and extensive usability testing to create products of exceptional quality and durability that enhance the software experience and strengthen the connection between consumers and their PC. Microsoft Hardware leads the industry in ergonomic engineering, industrial design and hardware/software compatibility, offering consumers an easier, more convenient and more enjoyable computing experience. Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer, which launched in 1999, earned a place on PCWorld.com’s December 2005 list of “The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years” as the first mainstream optical mouse that “brought gunk-free pointing devices” to a broad consumer base. More information about the Hardware Group is available at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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1 These features are available only through Windows Live Messenger.

2 The price set out herein is a recommended retail price only and there is no obligation to comply with the recommendation. At participating retailers.

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