SuperTintin To The Rescue
We're trying something new on the site (because, well, why not?). Howie Kurtz and I found a video device on the Web that records Skype video calls. We tried out SuperTintin today while talking about my obsession with Pinterest, the new social media website. Howie hides his boredom pretty well; collecting pictures apparently isn't his thing.
But we did enjoy playing with our new toy, which is amazingly easy to use. Start a Skype call and press a big red record button. Hey, even I can do that. (All right, I'm a bit technologically challenged.) SuperTintin records both audio and video and let's you choose how you want to display it. We chose side-by-side, but you can set it up for picture-in-picture or just your video or just the other caller's video. It saves automatically it to a folder on your computer or USB drive and you can email it to friends, just like any other video file.
Beyond the fact that I was worried about how to block the sunlight from pouring into my home office making me look like Morticia Addams, the results are respectable. It's not broadcast television, but then, you don't have to sit through annoying commercials and anchor happy-talk. The audio briefly dropped out at one point, and the picture can be a bit fuzzy. But take a look for yourself. (The best part: no ads or spyware.)
Up to five minutes of video is free for now; if you want more time, you have to pay by using TrialPay. All Things D has a write-up on the way companies like Supertintin use TrialPay. You make travel reservations, video rentals, or send flowers through TrialPay partners and you get the "free" service. Its motto is "Chances are there is something you were planning on buying anyway."
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