Tong Family

This is a $600 industrial quality web cam. There are folks who are doing in rough order of what I think is interesting:
Netcams
These are devices that don’t need a PC to show audio/video. Unlike webcams which require a PC:
* StarDot Technologies / NetCam. There are so many more cool WiFi devices that don’t require a PC or network connection.
* “Linksys”:http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=38&prid=650 and “D-link”:http://dlink.com/products/category.asp?cid=60 Netcams. I think they mainly use this for home survelliance. Nannycams. Main issue is how often will they work.
Network Attached Storage. These are little boxes with USB 2.0 attached storage that presents SMB protocols. “D-link”:http://dlink.com/products/category.asp?cid=65 also makes devices that include storage. I don’t like these that much because it marries you to a particular hard drive. Convenient for buying, but not for power users.
VOIP Phones and Adaptors. These are phone that actually that connect to IP so have a speaker and microphone and then can run VOIP to connect out. You can buy them bundled with a service (Vonage, “Linksys”:http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=38&prid=651 and “D-link’:http://dlink.com/products/category.asp?cid=11). This has two ports for traditional plain old telephones and then connects you VOIP to Vonage if you want to make PSTN calls. D-link also sells phones that are just IP on the outside.
Videophone. This is a conference application that “D-link”:http://dlink.com/products/DVC-1000/electronicHouseAward.asp sells. We actually have one and have never gotten it to work.
Printer Servers. Actually a pretty good idea, you put a Wifi connection one end and a printer on the other. “Linksys’:http://www.linksys.com/products/group.asp?grid=33&scid=37 and “D-link”:http://dlink.com/products/category.asp?cid=10 has a variety of Wifi and wireline connection. Essentially it is printer on one side and it emulates an Unix LPR or TCP/IP printing protocol on the Internet side.
Media adapters. A terrible term, but basically something that looks for storage on the network and then either playback audio or shows photos on a TV. Audiotron makes a good one. “D-link”:http://dlink.com/products/?pid=318 and Linksys has one. SliMP is a another good one.
Presentations. “Linksys”:http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=38&prid=623 has a device that is a little strange, but what it does is have VGA output and an IP connection on the other, then there is magic software that lets you go from the notebook to this device without having to make the VGA wires work (instead you have to make the IP stuff work :-).