a new marriage after Cisco and Tandberg - Logitech and LifeSize

Its pretty clear that videoconferencing and telepressence are hot. After the bid of Cisco on Tandberg, Logitech is now going for Lifesize. Convergence between IT and AV in its most clear way. Also it is a pretty positive one. The IT supplier growing big with webcams now taking over a high end Telepresence player. This can mean better integration between pc based messasing and telepresence. Will your next monitor be a logitech telepresence unit?

A Letter from the CEOs

We're delighted to announce that LifeSize will soon be joining Logitech.

Our two companies share a vision for the role of video in business and professional communication, believing that anywhere there is voice there should be video. That means offering a life-like, HD-video communication experience that is as seamless and mainstream as a telephone call not just in the board room for a select few, but in any meeting room in the enterprise, as well as at one's office desk or while telecommuting from home.

LifeSize started this journey with many of you more than five years ago. And together we have changed the landscape of workplace collaboration and built relationships with more than 9000 customers around the world.

It's time to go farther. Logitech, the world leader in webcams and a pioneer in the development of PC-based video calling, is a natural fit for LifeSize from a business, innovation and cultural perspective.

With Logitech's backing, LifeSize will be able to scale more effectively to deliver technology solutions to more customers and partners around the world. And by closely collaborating on innovation, we believe that we can accelerate the realization of our vision.

Voice-only communication knows almost no boundaries. We believe Logitech and LifeSize in partnership with other leading technology companies can drive innovation, price/performance and open standards so that the experience of visual communication is just as common and natural.

Together with our partners, we will continue to deliver standards-based, high-quality, flexible video-communication solutions that are scalable, secure and accessible to anyone, anywhere.

We are in the early stages of an important communication revolution and we will continue to set the pace of innovation for our customers and our partners. We look forward to making this journey together with you.

Sincerely,

Craig Malloy,

Founder and CEO of

LifeSize Communications

Gerald P. Quindlen,

President and CEO

of Logitech

MIT researchers make 'sixth sense' gadget

Just got this press announcement from AFP and when reading I already imagine a discussion with my kis on going to school. Just imagine......The gadget can look at an airplane ticket and let the user know whether the flight is on time, or recognize books in a book store and then project reviews or author information from the Internet onto blank pages

However this is absolutely cool

MIT researchers make 'sixth sense' gadget
13 hours ago

LONG BEACH, California (AFP) — US university researchers have created a portable "sixth sense" device powered by commercial products that can seamlessly channel Internet information into daily routines.

The device created by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientists can turn any surface into a touch-screen for computing, controlled by simple hand gestures.
The gadget can even take photographs if a user frames a scene with his or her hands, or project a watch face with the proper time on a wrist if the user makes a circle there with a finger.
The MIT wizards cobbled a Web camera, a battery-powered projector and a mobile telephone into a gizmo that can be worn like jewelry. Signals from the camera and projector are relayed to smart phones with Internet connections.

"Other than letting some of you live out your fantasy of looking as cool as Tom Cruise in 'Minority Report' it can really let you connect as a sixth sense device with whatever is in front of you," said MIT researcher Patty Maes. Maes used a Technology, Entertainment, Design Conference stage in Southern California on Wednesday to unveil the futuristic gadget made from store-bought components costing about 300 dollars (US).

The device can recognize items on store shelves, retrieving and projecting information about products or even providing quick signals to let users know which choices suit their tastes.
The gadget can look at an airplane ticket and let the user know whether the flight is on time, or recognize books in a book store and then project reviews or author information from the Internet onto blank pages. The gizmo can recognize articles in newspapers, retrieve the latest related stories or video from the Internet and play them on pages. "You can use any surface, including your hand if nothing else is available, and interact with the data," Maes said.

"It is very much a work in progress. Maybe in ten years we will be here with the ultimate sixth-sense brain implant."