Creative used CES 2008 as their venue to introduce their latest entry into the video conferencing market - the Creative inPerson device. According to the company, inPerson is ideal for one to one and small group meetings - allowing users to communicate with one another without actually having to be there “in person” (and hence.. the name of course!).

The key to all of this is the inPerson device which looks like a small portable DVD player. Since the unit is portable, you can literally bring the inPerson device wherever you go and use it wherever there is a wireless or wired Internet connection. You will need to subscribe to a low cost monthly plan in order to fully utilize the inPerson device although other users can contact you via a PC webcam.

Here are the specs to the inPerson device:

• 7 inch widescreen LCD display
• 640 x 480 resolution video
• Supports up to a bit rate of 2 Mbps
• 76 degree wide angle lens
• High quality sensor for low light performance
• Supports composite NTSC and PAL formats
• Built in acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) feature
• High sensitivity dual microphones for longer range pick up
• Built-in speaker
• Connects to 10/100 Base-T port
• Connects to wireless networks (802.11b/g)
• Removable Li-Ion battery
• Rotating camera lens
• Wireless remote control
• Supports call history, auto answer, contact lists, speed dial, and auto-login

Here is a picture of two inPerson devices in communication with one another. I played around with the inPerson device for a short amount of time and was impressed with the overall quality of the audio/video. Creative even allowed us to contact another Creative employee in Northern California via inPerson and I have to admit - it was pretty neat to see the whole thing in action.

Right now, inPerson is geared towards businesses who want a cheaper alternative to common video conferencing solutions out there. Each inPerson device can be purchased for $519.99 at Creative’s website (which includes one year of free service by Broadxent). I don’t see this as a consumer ready device quite yet - especially since you have to pay subscription fees to actually use the device with other inPerson users. However, it’s still nice to see Creative come out with innovative new products that take a new spin on existing markets.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Creative, inPerson, video conferencing, CES 2008