Logitech has been our brand of choice for web-powered video cameras since we first realized our family could use them to communicate almost face-to-face with in-laws and grandparents. The same holds true for the Logitech Pro 9000 webcam boxed with Vid software. Whether you're a traveling mom hoping to catch all of baby's first words from the road, or a family with low-tech-savvy relatives scattered around the globe, these tools can make it far, far easier to connect online.

Let me digress to 2005, when we thought videophones would be a wonderful Christmas present for the whole extended family. Nix that; they never worked correctly and our aging relatives were baffled by them. Then came 2007 when Father's Day presented an opportunity to send the Dads a new Logitech Webcam that could be mounted on any of their PC's and used to chat with their grandchildren. After hours of setting up chat accounts with AOL, Skype, MSN and other webservices -- then cries of "I see you, yes!" and "What, how come you can't hear me?" -- my husband gave up trying.

Fast forward to 2009, an era when laptops and many home computers have webcams built right in, our family's included. But that hasn't meant that I can connect any more easily with my mom or my in-laws, all of whom remain computer phobic in their eighth decade. What has changed is that Logitech offers a superb quality, yet affordable, video camera that can be clipped onto any computer (it runs off the USB port) and more importantly, a grandparent-friendly software called Vid that sets itself up and makes chatting with friends and family contacts simple and intuitive, even for octogenarians.

First the hardware: The Logitech Pro 9000 is a high-definition camera with a good built-in microphone that allows users to sit in front of their screens, lean in and chat away. Or, take advantage of the long cord to grab the camera and get up close to baby in her playpen while she gurgles happily. If your family members are hard of hearing, they will prefer the companion ClearChat Comfort USB headset (sold separately for $99), which has those fashionable muffin-shaped, noise-cancelling earphones and an easily adjusted microphone. It's just 11 steps from opening the package to making a call.

Now the software, the secret ingredient in this recipe for communications success. Vid is a proprietary user-friendly tool that downloads quickly from the CD-ROM accompanying a Logitech purchase. It can be used free of charge by anyone you invite to chat with you, because they will get an emailed link to a free download as well. Vid is a very simple interface that displays each of your contacts in a big on-screen button so that, after invited relatives have "accepted" an email request to be on your Vid list, grandparents and other non-power users only have to click any contacts button to make a quick video and audio connection. There's no capacity to make conference calls and link many users together, no IM or instant texting function, it's just the solid basics, delivered in a simple manner that would speak well to my relatives.

I've grown up with Logitech's well-priced and comfortable computer mouses, and hoped that any computer peripherals they made did would work well and easily. We're glad that's still the case.

Special Note:  Vid can only be used to communicate with friends and families using the service. In contrast, the webcam and headset are agnostic, meaning they can be used with Skype, MacBooks or any other service as well. For busy moms, that could mean Skype at work and Vid at home -- they're as compatible as both side of your busy life.

Coupon from Logitech

Logitech Offer when purchasing at www.logitech.com through the end of 2009:
20% off plus Free Shipping on

• Logitech Portable Webcam C905 (MSRP $99.99)
• Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 (MSRP $99.99).

Please use Promotional Code:  logitech_moms_2009