Add MobilityArena as a preferred source on Google
Use your phone as a webcam.
Due to the pandemic a lot of activities had to be carried out over the internet to reduce physical contact. A lot of video conferencing applications (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Skype, etc.) were used by different organizations to keep activities going whether for school or work. Regardless of the application used, one thing was common, this being the fact that the means of communication was through video. These applications made use of the webcams of the devices there were used on, and this was a problem at times.
Depending on the device (laptop or PC) used, we had to settle for low video qualities. The webcams present on laptops are not as good as we might expect, so attending video conferences while using these webcams will result in grainy and very low-quality videos.
Another issue that using a webcam poses is the “line of sight”. What do we mean? When video conferencing the laptop or device used is often kept on a flat surface such as a table and by placing it on a table the webcam stays below our eye level. This in itself does not look good, maintaining eye contact while speaking with a person or group of persons is very important, but with a laptop’s webcam it is like people we are talking with are looking up at us due to the angle between the webcam and our eyes.
So what can we do to solve these stated problems? Simply use your phone as your webcam. How?
Advantages Of Using Your Phone As A Webcam
Smartphones these days are maxing out their specs in terms of cameras, the completion is fierce, and every smartphone production company tries to add new features to their cameras in a bid to stay relevant in the market.
Most devices are launching with bigger and better image sensor, better image processing chips, a more clean software to compliment photos and videos taken on the device. These smartphones cameras are in no competition with laptop webcams; they are just better.
So by using your smartphone as a webcam for your video conferencing, you solve the first problem we mentioned, being poor video quality. It is advisable to use the main camera on your smartphone instead of the selfie camera.
The second issue mentioned is also solved by using our phone as a webcam in place of our laptops’ webcam. By using your smartphone as a webcam you can move it around independent of your laptop or desktop computer, hence you can place the smartphone camera at our eye level to achieve good eye contact with those we are speaking with, this will make what we say appeal to the listeners. With your smartphone as a webcam, you can also try out various angles and create a dramatic background view while video conferencing.
Guidelines To Use Your Phone As A Webcam
Use your phone as a webcam.
To use your phone as a webcam, you will need to download a webcam application from your device’s App Store if you are using an iPhone and PlayStore if you are using an Android device. I complied a list of a few webcam applications that you can use on either mobile platforms, these applications also support at least one platform for your laptop or PC (windows, ChromeOS, MacOS, Linux). For each of the application that will be mentioned you will need to download the application on your mobile device to be used as a webcam and secondly on the video conferencing application select an external camera to be used.
- EpocCam : If you are using an iPhone and a Windows PC, this can be a good choice for you. The application is free and also easy to set up. Also download the driver to your PC and the application will connect your smartphone camera to your PC. You have the option to connect your phone to your PC via USB or WiFi.
- Iriun : This is the webcam application of my choice, I find that it works perfectly for me. Setting it up was really simple. Similar to the EpocCam, you will need to install this application on your PC and mobile phone.
These two applications are totally free to use and can be accessed from the Google PlayStore and App Store. If you set up your mobile device to be used as a webcam, ensure you use the main camera and also keep your phone plugged in to a power source, since the application drains battery quickly. You might also consider getting a tripod stand to mount your device on for better video stabilization.
You are reading Mobility Arena .
- Don’t miss our reviews .
- Join our WhatsApp Group , to be notified of the most important articles and deals,
- Follow us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , and YouTube .
Author:KittysTech
Tech analyst, Collins Eshiet, writes about technology. Follow me on Twitter @KittysTech.
Add MobilityArena as a preferred source on Google
Did you love the era of the Play Station Portable, if yes then the Lenovo Legion Play will sure tickle your fancy. In the world of laptops there are a lot of brands and lineups to pick from based on your needs, certain lineups are just made to please a particular group of people. One group of people that are greatly considered by these brands are the gamers and the Legion lineup from Lenovo is one of such laptops in that niche.
Talk of crazy specs on a laptop, the Legion lineup got you covered, talk of a rugged yet outspoken design (“stylish outside, savage inside”), the Legion lineup got you covered, everything a true gamer might want in a Laptop comes into consideration with the Legion lineup. The entire idea of gaming laptops made perfect sense to me, how you might ask. The simple reason is portability, personally I want to game anywhere I want to and not just when I am with the gaming console, with gaming laptop you have the option to game anywhere, it is easy to move. But, the Lenovo Legion Play is not a laptop.
What Is The Lenovo Legion Play.
Lenovo Legion Play.
Before we talk about the Lenovo Legion Play let us take a quick look at the Legion Duel. The Legion Duel is Lenovo’s gaming phone lineup, so far we have seen two launches from this lineup the Legion Duel and the Legion Duel 2 .
Both of the devices mentioned are very speced so as to enable gamers to run through games smoothly without any hassle. They also come with a few features that regular devices do not necessarily need, such as adaptive shoulder buttons, cooling fans, more charging abilities (bypass charging) and extra gaming menus.
The RAM on this devices if I an not wrong is higher than that which you will find on your regular laptop with both devices starting off at 12GB of RAM and signing off with a maximum of 16GB of RAM (Lenovo took things forward in the Legion 2 pro with 18GB of RAM). This devices (especially the Legion Duel 2) are some of the best gaming devices out there in the market right now, so when Lenovo says it wants to launch a device in it’s Legion lineup it is something that should be covered, plus this time it is something entirely new.
The Lenovo Legion Play is a handheld gaming console very similar to the Play Station Portable (PSP) but running Android Operating system. A few months back a company “Valve” launched a device called the Steam Deck which was a cloud gaming console, the Lenovo Legion Play has the same idea in a better form factor as we can see in the image below.
For some time now Lenovo has been working on a gaming console , this might just be it, with the name Lenovo has already gathered in the gaming field this device might just be received with open arms by the gamers out there. For now, here is what we know about this device:
- Battery: 7000 mAh
- OS: Android (modified version for gaming)
- Screen size: 7″ inches
Will The Lenovo Legion Play Support Cloud Gaming?
Nvidia GeForce Now running on the Lenovo Legion Play.
Yes it will, from the leaked images we can see the presence of the Nvidia GeForce Now, which is a cloud gaming platform available on Windows, MAC, Android, etc. But the Lenovo Legion Play is an Android device so therefore it will have access to PlayStore and users will be able to download and play their favourite games on the console.
How about Stadia ? Stadia should run smoothly on this console since it will be powered by Android and Stadia is Google’s ever growing approach to the cloud gaming community. Check out our article on Cloud Gaming here .
Personally I will love to see this device enter the mainstream market and also see how well it will perform or be accepted by gamers out there.
Author:KittysTech
Tech analyst, Collins Eshiet, writes about technology. Follow me on Twitter @KittysTech.
