Canyon Chat Pack CNR-CP8
Theo Boshoff
This year you must, if you are not already doing it, get with the programme and do the video communications thing. It is simply fantastic to stay in touch with people this way.

We think that the Canyon Chat Pack CNR-CP8 bundle is a great way to start off your video communications ride. What is great about this product is that you get a webcam and headphones with a mic in one go.

The CNR-WCAM113 USB webcam is a 1.3-megapixel one, which is all you need and more than enough for doing the video chatting thing. Some people might not like the fact that it looks like a little guy with flexible legs, arms and neck, but the legs and neck are, in fact, important as they act as the webcam’s stand and (the neck) to adjust the camera’s angle. You can also change the guy into a girl with the supplied dress. In all honesty, the camera is not very sturdy and if not positioned and balanced properly, it does keel over rather easily.

The stereo headset is comfortable and the fold-away mic is nice and flexible to set in the exact position required. The sound quality is not bad and good enough for regular online chats. It’s not a high-end music listening device. You can simply use the stereo headset to listen to music stored on your PC as well.
It worked very well with Skype on our Windows XP machine, and the company says it supports all Windows operating systems, including Vista. We didn’t test Vista though.

Installing the webcam and speakers was easy and fuss-free; trying to set the camera angle and having it stay put was, however, another story.