grabMotion

grabMotion is a webcam utility that can automatically take screenshots and send them via email to a preconfigured address.

The program is written in Java, which means you need Java Runtime Environment to run it, but that shouldn't affect the overall experience at all.

grabMotion relies on a tiny interface with lots of configuration options, including those related to the motion detection tool that allows the app to take a screenshot whenever it identifies movement in front of the camera.

Besides the fact that you can define the detection area, grabMotion also enables you to adjust video settings, but also configure the email you want to use to send screenshots, with special fields for POP and SMTP servers, usernames and passwords.

Of course, grabMotion also boasts tools to archive images and save them in a user-defined folder, as well as a special utility to send the photos via SMS. Last but not least, you can configure alarms and the photo size, so it's all up to your needs.

grabMotion needs a simple USB webcam and during our tests, everything worked like a charm. Keep in mind that you must have the JRE up and running. An email account is not mandatory, unless you intend to send the photos via email.

The program has a minimum footprint on computer resources and since it is written in Java, it works on all Windows versions on the market.

All things considered, grabMotion is quite an interesting idea and with some updates it could easily become much more popular.