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Review: KB Gear JamCam 3.0

by Paul Cesarini

Jam Online

SRP/SP:	$99/$85
Requirements:	Mac OS 8.5.1 or above, USB port, 32 MB of RAM, 90 MB disk space, 4x CD-ROM drive, QuickTime 4, 800 x 600 display, 16-bit color
What's Hot:	Inexpensive, easy to use, memory slot (MMC), free photos
What's Not:	Battery not included, memory card not included, no image preview screen, no TV-out

What hardware could you buy for $99? A scanner, maybe? Possibly a keyboard / mouse combination? CD burners have certainly dropped in price over the past two years, but few if any are in that range. How about a digital camera? Until yesterday, I was one of the nay-sayers that believed digital cameras would never go for so little. However, after trying KB Gear's new JamCam 3.0, I can now honestly say that $99 will buy a functional (if low-end) camera well-suited to kids, teens, and many adults. This c-note soldier is KB Gear's newest iteration of their fairly successful JamCam, currently in a 3.0 version.

This newest JamCam looks decidedly less kid-ish, being wrapped in a black, rubber-like casing with metallic trim. It's all very ergonomic feeling, assuming you're right-handed, of course, and visually goes well with a PowerBook. It is part of an apparently new "Jam" product line from KB Gear that also includes updated versions of their graphic tablet, MP3 player, and related peripherals. KB Gear has also made strides to integrate their "Jam Online" web site with these products. You can, for example, upload pictures taken with the JamCam to KB Gear's site and order hardcopy photos of them directly online, courtesy of a ShutterFly partnership. To hook you in, there's a coupon good for 50 free prints included with the JamCam. This is a nice touch.

Before I go any further, I must say that I initially couldn't transfer any files, take any pictures, or use the camera in any way at all, due to the lack of an included battery. The JamCam 3.0 takes a single 9-volt battery. How much could that possibly add to the cost? They wouldn't even have to include an alkaline one. A regular, heavy duty battery goes for about eighty cents retail, and would at least make the camera usable. It seems a ridiculous way to cut corners, and reminds me of the HP inkjet printers that don't come with a printer cable in the box. What's next, computers shipping without power cords?

Aside from the MIA battery, the JamCam sports all the standard, consumer-level features you'd expect: 640x480 actual resolution, built-in flash, timer, tripod mount, wriststrap, a CD with Adobe PhotoDeluxe and image transfer software, and a USB cable. There's also a PC-style serial cable included. (Two cables and no battery?)

What sets this camera apart from others targeting the consumer line is the MultiMedia Card (MMC) memory expansion slot. Though an actual MMC isn't included, it's certainly nice to have that extra breathing room. I personally would've preferred a SmartMedia slot, rather than MMC, but KB Gear appears to be standardizing on MMC with their MP3 player and other products, as well. The downside is that without shelling-out some extra buck on an 8 or 16mb MMC, the JamCam is limited to a paltry 8 pictures at 640x480, or up to 28 at 320x240. Adding a memory card will disable the internal memory, of course, so you can't "stack" them up.

Picture quality is ok. It's certainly better than other cameras in the $99 - $150 price range, but don't expect to win any photography awards. The sample images below were taken at Bowling Green State University. They have been resized in PhotoShop, only to better fit the format of this page. They were also sharpened because, hey, I was already in PhotoShop. No additional filters or touch-ups were applied.

The controls are extremely easy to use. Unlike competing products such from ixla, the JamCam 3.0 offers a simplified menu interface that sports a mere two buttons. These buttons are both conveniently located and easy to press. During a three-day testing period, used with a PowerBook G3/300 and a Macally USB PC Card, the JamCam reliably connected to the PowerBook and transferred images.

The software is equally easy to use. Installing it and then uploading transferring pictures to the computer took no time. I was, however, baffled by the 800x600 maximum resolution claim. According to KB Gear, this is done through software interpolation similar to how most scanners bump-up their resolution. I simply could not find any way of adjusting the resolution from 640x480 to 800x600 in the software. The directions provided no additional detail, either. Maybe it does it automatically, behind the scenes, while transferring the files. Maybe it's just me.

The JamCam 3.0 certainly won't raise the eyebrows of hardcore digital photographers. The missing image preview screen, multimedia card, and TV-out are let-downs, to be sure, but are perhaps understandable given the low price tag. The lack of a battery is less forgivable. It should be included, in the box, yesterday. Still, the JamCam stacks-up favorably to similar offerings from ixla and TechWorks, is fine for kids, family vacations, and Ebay, and provides decent "bang for the buck" ratio.