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Most super models don't, and the Ojo probably won't either.Consider this a second-generation videophone. It's a big improvement over Webcams with headsets, first-generation phones with half-speed, jerky video and the need to hold the phone handset to your face to talk.

The Ojo sends full-motion video at 30 frame/sec, as opposed to 15 frame/sec or slower as seen with earlier videophones. This model also has a decent speakerphone. The portrait screen orientation works great for faces, especially when compared with the landscape format on other phones.Unfortunately, this comes with a high price tag. Each Ojo device costs $800, a super-model fee in a world of subsidized cell phones and videophone hardware. Motorola also charges a monthly fee to manage the connection link database between phone users.

Installation

The User Guide and Quick Start Guide make installation look simple, and it was. Just plug the Ojo into a router and start making calls. The Ojo grabs an IP address from the router (you can assign an address if you choose). When you dial another Ojo device, the unit connects to a Motorola server that handles the Session Initiation Protocol connection, finds the target device and starts a streaming video call.

By default, recipients must press a button to activate their video camera, which prevents any awkward "jumping out of the shower" scenario for video calls. Most consumer routers allow the Ojo connect, but not all. Our Linksys WRT54GP2 device (the Vonage-enabled model for VoIP use) worked great. Two new Netgear models didn't work, nor did a Zyxel Prestige 334. The WBR-G54 wireless broadband router from Buffalo did work. Motorola says an upcoming operating system upgrade will fix most of these problems (tech support only promised soon, so it may be available as you read this). 

A network administrator can open firewall ports to accommodate the Ojo protocol requirements (if these devices are used at work), but consumers won't be comfortable doing so, even if their low-end routers allow such configuration. We also were disappointed that Motorola didn't recommend any known good routers on its Web site.

Using Ojo

Once connected, Ojo does many things right. The screen's portrait mode (6- by 3.25-inches) is perfect for looking at faces. During a call, the screen shows a small image of how you look underneath the larger image of the person you're calling. This makes it simple to stay in the frame and see how you look to the other person. Controls and the phone's dial pad are on a cordless handset, which includes three custom buttons (talk, mute and end), along with a select button inside a four-way cursor ring. If you connect the Ojo to a normal telephone line, you can use the cordless handset like any cordless phone, or use the complete unit as a speakerphone.