Microsoft LifeCam NX-3000 Webcam - Gray
by Microsoft
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Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: MicrosoftFormat: CD-ROM
Platform: Windows
Model: WTB-00001
Product features:
- Microsoft LifeCam NX-3000 Webcam (Gray)
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to B-Male Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters)
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to A-Female Extension Cable (9.8 Feet/3.0 Meters)
- AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable (9.8 Feet/3.0 Meters) [Supports 3D + Audio Return Channel]
- AmazonBasics Ultra-High-Speed HDMI Cable Braided (9.8 Feet/3.0 Meters)
- AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Braided Cable (6.5 Feet/2.0 Meters)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Microsoft LifeCam NX-3000 Webcam - Gray
Customer Review: Why you should think twice before buying Microsoft peripherals (a case study)
Summary: 2 Stars
First of all, even though I use a Macbook currently, I have used my fair share of PCs in my lifetime, and I am not one of those crazy "down-with-Microsoft!" types. I've had my issues with Macs as well. However, I believe my particular experience with this product (LifeCam NX-3000) says something about the company that has its name on it:
The reason I chose to buy the Microsoft LifeCam NX-3000 was specifically for the "Microsoft" name. I live in the U.S. while my parents live in Turkey. When something goes wrong with their PC, I end up staying on the phone with them for hours, trying to solve their issues from the other side of the world. So when it came to choosing a webcam for them, I went with Microsoft, because I figured that a Microsoft webcam would be least likely to have compatibility or maintenance issues with Windows XP, which happens to be another quite popular Microsoft product.
The webcam worked remarkably well for a year or so. My parents, who, as you might have guessed, are not the most tech-savy people in the world, learned to use the NX-3000 quite easily. I personally liked the images I got on the webcam built into my Macbook better than those from the NX-3000, but I can attest that the noise-reduction microphone on the NX-3000 did its job quite well.
After a year, I got the news from my father that their laptop started crashing and restarting within seconds of them plugging in the NX-3000 into a USB port. I got to examine the issue when I went back home for a visit. Within 5-6 seconds of plugging in the camera, the blue screen of death would appear for only a second (with the IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error) and the computer would immediately restart. The only thing you would need to get this behavior is to plug in the camera. I checked for an updated driver for the camera, but couldn't find any updates on the Microsoft website. I then removed the current driver and re-installed it, but that changed nothing. After searching the net for this error for a few hours, I read a report where somebody disabled the LifeCam software the is in the "startup processes" list in msconfig. They said that the camera would work irrespective of this software. I tried removing this process from the startup list, and this worked! My parents could use their camera once again! This would be a happy ending, but alas... A month after returning to the States, I learned the same problem had resurfaced. At this point, I am not sure why this is the case, and I guess their camera will be useless for them until I go back there again and look at the issue...
You are Microsoft: a software giant. Your OS is used by hundreds of millions of people all over the world (I'm talking about Windows XP here, not one of them recent releases.) I would understand if the webcam you sell dies because of poor build quality. After all probably some random contractor in China is building it for you. But, no! It fails because the software that runs the camera messes up and BRINGS THE WHOLE SYSTEM DOWN! This is the really sad part: You write the system software, you also write the webcam software. This is all software, this is what you should be doing best! Even a polite little message saying that "Please spend another 50 bucks and buy our newer webcam" would be better than the operating system dying all together! If you cannot do this right, what good can we expect from your company then?
What have I learned from all this?
***Third party companies are probably better in accommodating issues with the Microsoft operating systems/software than Microsoft itself***
I just hope that Microsoft is aware of this all --not my specific problem but the issue in general-- and that they are doing something about it.
Until then, I will buy peripherals from Logitech or some other manufacturer...
Description of Microsoft LifeCam NX-3000 Webcam - Gray
| Overview: Experience ultra-compact video calling with Microsoft® LifeCam NX-3000 - wherever you are. Features See Clearly |  |
| Hear More |  |
| Notebook Mobility |  |
| Optimized for Windows Live |
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