Personally, I am not bothered by not having direct eye contact over the webcam. Apparently, some people do, and this resulted in software-driven technology to “redirect” your eyes to achieve eye contact. Don’t like software meddling with your beautiful windows to your soul? Well, that’s where the iContact Camera ProHello Eye Contact Webcam comes in.
It is not the first eye contact webcam, though. There are a bunch out there. However, ProHello is one of the latest versions, an evolution of the brand’s OG iContact Camera Pro and iContact Camera. How a camera like the ProHello achieves eye contact is kinda awkward, to be honest.
It physically places the camera in the center of the screen, so from the other person’s perspective, you are looking directly into their eyes. It’s a crude but effective way of achieving eye contact, though at the expense of having a physical object constantly on the screen. I guess our brains will tune that out after a while—or when anxiety takes over after getting reprimanded by your boss.
It boasts built-in recognition, and as the product name hints, it works with Windows Hello (as well as Linux Howdy), allowing you to log into your computer at a glance—literally. The camera activates only when the retractable arm is down in front of the screen.
When it’s flipped up and out of the way, it powers down, cutting video and mic feeds, retaining only the dedicated facial recognition camera to ensure secure sign-ins and system access continue seamlessly. Unfortunately, you cannot use it as a regular “I refuse to look directly at you” webcam.
The webcam features a ridiculously compact 13 MP 4K Sony sensor and built-in stereo noise-canceling mics to reduce background noise and improve voice clarity. Since you’ll be seen at four times more detail, you’ll appear at your best—or worst.
Unlike some webcams, it does not have AI to beautify your appearance. However, you can play with brightness, contrast, saturation, and white balance in real-time, as well as zoom, focus, and background blur to spruce up your feed using the companion app, available for both Mac and Windows.
Like any good webcam, ProHello is plug-and-play. No drivers are required. It connects via USB-C and works out of the box with major video platforms, including Zoom, Teams, Meet, Webex, and more.
All this comes at a surprisingly affordable price of as low as US$159—well, at least while it is still on Kickstarter anyway, where it is running its third campaign since 2022.
Images: First Backer.
