The ClickSmart is a good webcam, but as a standalone camera, it's not so ClickSmart.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Easy set up, very affordable, good webcam, functions well when connected to PC, extensive software.

Cons: Poor as a standalone camera, choppy movie capture, stand doesn't rotate(!), needs lots of light

The Bottom Line: 
I would recommend buying the ClickSmart 310, with the caveat that it is functional as a webcam, not as a digital camera as it is advertised.

Author's Review
Sometimes the line between webcam and digital Camera are blurred. From my experience, when a camera attempts to do both, it usually succeeds at neither. Or at least if it serves both functions well, it is in a much higher price range. When looking at the under $100 price range, you'd be hard pressed to find a good digital camera, which is what makes rating this item slightly difficult, since it serves as an excellent Webcam and is quite useful when attached to a PC. The Logitech ClickSmart 310 is advertised as a digital camera, and to me, this is misleading. (Although it does appear in many places, including on epinions, as a webcam as well, it is primarily considered a digital camera).

SETUP

Setting the item is pretty standard. Install the provided software, plug in the device, and you're pretty much ready to go. You couldn't ask for an easier setup. File transfer is quite easy as well, simply plug the USB cable into the back of the camera when you are ready, and you can instantly download all the pictures and video from the camera to your PC in seconds as JPEG files.

WHAT CAN IT DO, AND HOW GOOD?

It is important to note that my rating of this item is 'average' because it serves as a poor digital camera, but an above average webcam and visual utility device. This is why I have separated the review of the device into digital camera and PC camera device, to clarify these differences.

DIGITAL CAMERA

The option to disconnect the ClickSmart from your PC and take it around as a camera of its own would be quite useful, except that the camera on its own can only take mid-range resolution pictures (up to 352 x 288), and these only turn out well with very still shots in good light. Under these conditions, the pictures turn out satisfactory, but I'd still advise taking multiple shots.

The battery life is incredible, and after hundreds of shots, the camera is still going strong. However, the reason I have to take hundreds of shots is because I know that only 1 in 10 will be salvageable, so it evens out in the long run.

The shutter lag is non-existent. The camera takes pictures as soon as you click. However, the shutter speed is quite slow, and images often turn out blurry. This camera is more useful for scenery shots for this very reason, since scenery doesn't move...or at least not in my experience.

The onboard camera options allow flexibility. You can take up to 160 low-resolution (176 x 144) shots! There is also a timer, and a multi-shot option to take one shot a second over a defined number of pictures. The camera doesn't have a preview screen, so if you want to delete pictures, you will have to do some guesswork.

Finally, you can take up to 15 seconds of footage in place of some pictures. This footage ends up choppy and quite inelegant, so don't count on this to capture skateboarding stunts, but more for gag purposes or simple fun.

There you have it. As a digital camera, the ClickSmart 310 falls short. But what did you expect for that price? Read on.

PC CAMERA DEVICE

Why PC camera device? Since the ClickSmart does so much more when attached to your PC than simply serving as a webcam.

For its price, the ClickSmart makes a great value for what it can do when hooked up to your computer via USB. Ok, it serves as a webcam with up to 640 x 480 resolution. Ok, it takes pictures and captures video at that resolution as well. The videos, photos and webcam quality are quite acceptable. But that's not all.

The bundled software really brings out the best in this product. There is software for time-lapse photography (it can be used for more than watching flowers grow), it has stop and click animation, and even a motion sensor program, that can play sounds if movement is detected. It can be used a security device, or just to spy on your room to see if anyone is in there when you're not. Also included is an interactive game that uses the camera to detect the motion of your face (star in your own video game), although I found that to be a little tedious.

Did I mention it still serves as a great webcam? For that price, you get what you paid for if you don't look at the ClickSmart as a digital camera.

THE REST

The camera seems to be on the delicate side, and I'm afraid that if I dropped it, it wouldn't work anymore. However, if it's only propped up as a webcam, this shouldn't be a problem, and hopefully, you'll have moved on to bigger and better things before you drop it.

The stand for the camera doesn't rotate, which can make aiming the camera for webcam or video capture use quite frustrating. Have a pencil or two ready to prop it up. Not really a big deal.

The USB cable that is included could have been longer, so that taking high res pictures when connected to the PC can be easier.

Other than that, no real gripes about the Logitech ClickSmart 310.

If you're looking for a digital camera, then shell out the 100 or more dollars, because this won't serve any of your purposes. Think of it as more of a webcam, and then your expectations will be met and surpassed.