If there’s anything more annoying in that…er…business videoconferencing session than low lighting, I don’t know what it is. The Net Cowboy from Japan’s Digital Cowboy solves that problem by adding in some LEDs to shed some light on the problem. Now, you can interact with your "business associates" with full clarity.

For those intimate virtual business meetings where you just must see the sweat pouring off your part… er, associate’s face, Logitech will be releasing the QuickCam Pro 9000 and QuickCam Pro for Notebooks. For $100, you get a Carl Zeiss lens, 2 megapixels, refocus in only 3 seconds, and high-quality recording. They even offer more intelligent light sensing to make sure the mood’s just right. Telecommuters around the world are rejoicing.

For a moment there, I thought it was a Sony VAIO. But it’s not: it’s the upcoming Dell XPS M1330, a beauty in its own right. Specs are pretty nifty with a Santa Rosa chipset, nVidia GeForce Go 8400M GS, and the obligatory USB, webcam, Wi-Fi, and WWAN options. Some other surprises are thrown in, but the real story is that it’s mighty pretty, and relatively small and light at 4 lbs or so. No idea on pricing yet, but I’m sure Dell will have to pay for that designer, who most likely sharpened his skills on anorexic runway models before breaking into the PC market.

Designer Eric Zhang says there’s no reason why a web camera has to look like an ugly mechanical eyeball sitting on your desk and I agree with him. Zhang’s Bubble Head Webcam features a camera itself mounted into the head, while the cute little body contains a copper skeleton and is covered in durable Thermoplastic Polyurethane. The characters are completely moveable and bendable so you can hang him on your screen, sit him on your books or make him climb the included ladder. Apologies to all of you ready to purchase your next gadget pet, the Bubble Head is still at the prototype stage with no plans yet for mass production.