Inca X has launched a new service called iNowCU. Targeted at folks who want to do some surveillance on the cheap, it uses a web camera and motion sensing software to advise you when something or someone has entered your realm.
It’s dead simple to set up. Simply download the software, run it, and plug your camera in. Whenever anything enters the field of vision for the camera, you’ll be mailed an alert.
The console is capable of displaying the output from up to 4 cameras, as well as a list of alerts. As you can see from the image below, I’ve got it installed on my trusty PC. Bookshelves in the rear, and at one point an empty chair. When I returned the software pinged me with a notification that something had changed. The best part is the oh-so-flattering photos it takes.
In addition, there are options for Nokia, Windows Mobile and iPhone handsets to allow you to be able to view your webcams while mobile. Here’s a sample of what the iPhone output looks like, showing your ability to see the latest alerts and change the view from one camera to another. Not bad!
If you’re in the market for some basic monitoring software, and don’t mind the job of receiving and responding to the alerts yourself, then iNowCU may be just the ticket. Best of all, you can try it free for 5 days, and after that it will cost you a mere $20 (single camera) or $29 (up to 4 cameras) to keep if you like it.
Alec Saunders is the Vice President of Developer Relations for BlackBerry make Research in Motion. This is his personal blog, with his personal viewpoints. Prior to this Alec was the CEO and co-founder of Calliflower — the easiest way to hold a meeting, online, on a conference call, or on the go. A double-decade veteran of product management and marketing, he spent nine years at Microsoft where he helped launch Windows 95, the first two versions of Internet Explorer, the Universal Plug and Play initiative, the push into home markets, opt-in email marketing and what might well go down in history as the very first direct email list ever.
