I'm with codgur on this.
I have kids that live with their Mom far away (messy divorce, etc.), and this is the setup I'd have them use.
Although it's not PCs, and cellphones break, get lost, stolen, etc., this is a significantly better system.
Here's why I think so:
1. timothy, the original poster, didn't tell us the age of his kids, but says he has a 'young family', and the kid(s) are old enough to spontaneously say "hey dad check this out". This tells me that they are likely pretty tech savvy, like my kids. And like my kids, lugging a laptop or trying to move a webcam around isn't impossible, but may be out of reach above the height of the kitchen counter. Additionally, my son sometimes wants me to 'see' what he's talking about, and I envision him being able to have a portable camera that he can *point at an object* and say "Hey cool, doncha think?".
2. Another poster talked about portability and eye contact. Very important here. Easier to do if said young person in the family can actually manipulate the object that has the camera and see your reaction.
3. Eventually, an always-on PC, Mac, or other webcam-connected system will break, need a firmware update, or simply rot and get old. Might as well have a solution that has an interface that lets the kids or timothy's wife do this. the iOS, while not perfect, makes this pretty simple.
4. There's an enormous side-benefit to using iPhones: the device will be *with them all the time*. So even when video isn't available, timothy's kids can figure out how to 'dial dad' and share the audio of something cool. Not having to teach them about multiple devices and what they do is worth the cost of jumping up and into the use of an iPhones with contracts.
5. The iPhones can still get used when timothy returns. The kids, having gotten into the habit of calling Dad to share cool moments, may well continue this behavior after Dad gets back. Very cool.
In the end, I feel that a form of occam's razor wins out -- the simplest solution is the right one. Use as much off-the-shelf tech that fits the expected use case. Here, your kids will want to do more than just see you, Timothy -- put the power of *showing you* cool stuff into their hands, and you and your wife will be amazed how much of their world they will choose to share with you.
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I'm with codgur on this. I have kids that live with their Mom far away (messy divorce, etc.), and this is the setup I'd have them use. Although it's not PCs, and cellphones break, get lost, stolen, etc., this is a significantly better system. Here's why I think so: 1. timothy, the original poster, didn't tell us the age of his kids, but says he has a 'young family', and the kid(s) are old enough to spontaneously say "hey dad check this out". This tells me that they are likely pretty tech savvy, like my kids. And like my kids, lugging a laptop or trying to move a webcam around isn't impossible, but may be out of reach above the height of the kitchen counter. Additionally, my son sometimes wants me to 'see' what he's talking about, and I envision him being able to have a portable camera that he can *point at an object* and say "Hey cool, doncha think?". 2. Another poster talked about portability and eye contact. Very important here. Easier to do if said young person in the family can actually manipulate the object that has the camera and see your reaction. 3. Eventually, an always-on PC, Mac, or other webcam-connected system will break, need a firmware update, or simply rot and get old. Might as well have a solution that has an interface that lets the kids or timothy's wife do this. the iOS, while not perfect, makes this pretty simple. 4. There's an enormous side-benefit to using iPhones: the device will be *with them all the time*. So even when video isn't available, timothy's kids can figure out how to 'dial dad' and share the audio of something cool. Not having to teach them about multiple devices and what they do is worth the cost of jumping up and into the use of an iPhones with contracts. 5. The iPhones can still get used when timothy returns. The kids, having gotten into the habit of calling Dad to share cool moments, may well continue this behavior after Dad gets back. Very cool. In the end, I feel that a form of occam's razor wins out -- the simplest solution is the right one. Use as much off-the-shelf tech that fits the expected use case. Here, your kids will want to do more than just see you, Timothy -- put the power of *showing you* cool stuff into their hands, and you and your wife will be amazed how much of their world they will choose to share with you.