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Displaylink has kept their promise on delivering the Mac-version of the USB video driver exactly two hours after midnight on the due date. (It’s actually a pleasant surprise that beta driver would be posted on time as scheduled.) The release allows you to connect up to four Displaylink-powerd video products (eg. Samsung 19″ 940UX, IOGear External Video Card) over USB, which may not be exciting for most of us, but probably the only way for Mac mini owners to get a second display running. For now, the driver doesn’t give you 2D acceleration nor any form of 3D (specifically OpoenGL) acceleration so you will encounter problems with Keynote presentations and iPhoto slideshows.

We actually just had a chance to test the beta driver, and surprisingly, both performance and stability were decent, to say the least. Displaylink did whine about not having enough support from Apple since MacOS X is a closed system unlike Vista. Keep in mind though this driver is still in beta which is traditionally prone to crashes and sluggishness. DisplayLink even keeps a long list of issues that need to be addressed in the online release note.
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HP isn’t exactly a main player in the rather small USB webcam add-on market, most of which belongs to Logitech by now. Integrated webcams on monitors are mostly fine except when you need need pan and tilt, external ones are far better choice. Since most HP LCD monitors also don’t come with a built-in camera, this 3-megapixel model just introduced by the said company might sell like hotcakes. Who knows.

This ‘bizarre-looking’ Elite webcam from HP boasts some very nice and thoughtful features, including a native 3-megapixel sensor which goes beyond HD; autofocus; privacy cover; and UVC for driverless install; and 320-degree pan angle. You can expect 30fps at VGA, but only 8 to 9fps at 1280×960. Then again, most ordinary persons don’t need more than 800×600 for video conferencing, and at this res, the webcam can handle at 20fps. There’s an effective focal range from 4 inches to infinity and an integrated stereo mic. Included with the Elite are ArcSoft VideoImpression, Magic-i and PhotoSmart Essential software. The low FPS concern aside, the HP Elite Autofocus webcam goes nicely with the new breed of glossy black HP LCDs.

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