MyPhoneRiches

3G iPhone Downloads

Gorillamobile Tripod – Versatility at its Finest

Blog, Gorillamobile, Hardware, Joby, Photography, Tripod, accessory, stand

**UPDATE** The one feature to make the Gorillamobie even better has been added to a new line… magnetic feat! Check it out here

gm2-stroller-new-mhTo me Joby’s Gorillamobile is the obvious love child of a tripod and a SnakeLight flashlight. For you young-ins out there who have no idea what a SnakeLight is let me tell you, it was the ultimate dad’s Christmas gift back in ‘94. Tagged as being the flashlight that could go any where and grab onto anything, the SnakeLight was an overnight success. Personally I think it was their catchy commercial campaign that did it. However, while the SnakeLight has all but vanished from mainstream society, I suspect the Joby Tripod line will retain a commanding presence for quite some time. Let me start by saying I never thought I could have as much fun with or be as excited about a tripod as I am for the Gorillamobile.

When I first saw this little beauty I thought it looked interesting, but it wasn’t until I got to play with…excuse me, I mean rigorously test it, that I fully appreciated its versatility. Each leg of the tripod is built with multiple interlocking joints which can be rotated a full 360º. This allows them to be bent at any point and any direction to wrap around or create a stable flat surface to shoot from. Each joint is encircled with a ring of high-durable, textured, rubber gripping material which keeps each joint stiff and secure under weight. The head of it is also on a ball joint which allows the phone to move from landscape to portrait and anywhere in between with ease.

470_75509

The quick switch clip at the top allows the iPhone be mounted and unmounted quickly without any fuss. The kit comes with a few other mounting brackets as well, including a standard 1/4″ tripod screw and 2 adhesive clips for mounting any other small device you might deem necessary. Just this week Joby also released an iPod Touch case for purchase. Granted the Touch’s don’t have cameras but it does speak to Gorillamobile’s other fantastic use a great stand for watching video.

Joby also released a free app, Gorillacam, to accompany the tripod. There isn’t anything revolutionary about the app which provides things like a Level, Self-timer, Time-laspe, and a 3 Shot Burst, but it’s certainly a nice addition and can even be useful if you don’t own a tripod.

I’ve been using the Gorillamobile for a few weeks now and while I could’ve written this review after just a couple of days, I really wanted to stress it and find a flaw. Amazingly enough though I simply couldn’t. The only possible flaw I could come up with is one of speculation, there is potential that over time the rubber grips could ware down and have trouble holding their position under device weight.

Screen shot 2010-02-18 at 10.44.38 AM

The only other issue would be the price at $39.95 which is easily justifiable for an iPhone user but if you’re an iPod Touch user just looking for a good stand, it may make it harder to swallow. Personally though, I would probably still buy it. This is one of the very few products that really can’t be made any better. All they’re missing is a clever stop action commercial with a catchy tune similar to the one I’ve included below as an extra treat.

Developer: Joby
Price: $39.95
Model Reviewed: Gorillamobile 3G/S

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Pros:
-Versatile, can wrap or stand on any surface
-Comes with additional brackets
-Can be used as a stand for watching videos

Cons:
-Potential to ware down over time and not hold its weight
-Expensive if only used as a stand

Iphone Media
3G iPhone Downloads!


GPS for an iPod Touch, Coming in February

Battery Pack, Blog, Charger, Dual Electronics, Hardware, Navigation, accessory, gps, ipod touch

cradle_mainpageDual Electronics has updated their site promising that the XGPS300 Navigation Cradle for the iPod Touch, originally expected in November ‘09, will be shipping later this February. The cradle offers GPS support for all models of the iPod Touch and comes bundled with a Windshield Mount kit and the NavAtlas App all for the price of $179.99. While some critics have taken aim at the price point claiming it to be too steep for a consumer who might as well buy a dedicated standalone GPS unit, there are some features of this that might make the expense a little easier to swallow.

Adding significant value to the deal is the battery pack portion of the cradle which can be switched on and off as necessary. Whether it be to keep the GPS from draining all of the touch’s power or simply as a power boost to keep the it kicking, the XGPS300 is capable of doubling its battery life. Battery pack cases alone usually cost between $60-$100, not to mention that this also means you’re not tethered to your car. Unlike many other standalone GPS units, which get all of their power from the cigarette lighter, this one can be taken hiking, biking, swimming…well maybe not swimming, but you get the idea.

Having not used the NavAtlas app yet I can’t vouch for its quality but since navigation apps like TomTom can cost upwards of $60, the possible value should not be overlooked. Plus the GPS support does not stop at NavAtlas or even navigation apps in general. The XGPS300 brings full location support to an iPod Touch and adds a built in microphone as well, bringing iPods just one step closer to being an iPhone and giving full functionality back to all of the amazing apps which require them.

Granted, $179.99 is a tough sell at first glance, but if GPS/location services is something you’ve been craving on your iPod Touch then the XGPS300 has more than enough to make it a worthy purchase. I’ve listed a couple of other features below along with the current ad Dual Electronics is running.

Additional Features:
-Amplified Speaker for Navigation Voice Prompts
-WIndshield Mount is adjustable to any position
-Included 12v Charger for in car power
-LED Battery Life indicator

Iphone Media
3G iPhone Downloads!


Belkin’s TuneCast Auto Live iPhone FM transmitter ~ Finally Shipping

Belkin, Blog, FM transmitter, Hardware, Tunecast, accessory, car charger, radio, transmitter

belkin-tunecast-auto-liveOnly 7 months after the original press release Belkin’s new TuneCast Auto Live iPhone FM transmitter, which was originally tagged as being the first iPhone 3.0 accessory, is finally shipping. Physically the transmitter doesn’t look any different then many of the other transmitters on the market currently. It charges through the car’s 12-volt lighter outlet and connects through the dock adapter with a control module in between. What makes this one special though is the app, ClearSacn Live, that goes along with it. Not only can users manually control all of the frequencies from the iPhone interface but the ClearScan function uses the iPhone’s GPS locater to automatically find the strongest frequency for the best audio quality. The transmitter is retailing for $79.99 and the app is now on the App Store for free.

Iphone Media
3G iPhone Downloads!


Eliminate the Blur with a Tripod

Blog, Hardware, Steady, Tripod, accessories, accessory, camera, pictures

Blur TripodI’ve personally never really believed it when someone would tell me that the iPhone’s camera isn’t bad for a phone. After all, I would take picture after picture and the majority would come out, usually with a string of words which I won’t repeat, blurry and unrecognizable. As I hustled around CES last week taking pictures and spilling coffee all over myself, it was actually Chris Hall who so graciously pointed out, in between laughs of course, that it was probably my pitifully shaky hands that was the problem and not the camera itself. As it turns out, he was right, for once, and for the past few days I’ve been using the Blur Tripod and have formed a new opinion regarding my camera phone.

Priced at $14.95, the Blur Tripod is exactly what you think it is, a tripod for an iPhone. A mini tripod to be precise, which stands about 5.5 inches off the ground or up to 8 inches if you extend the legs all the way. The unit itself comes in two separate parts, the legs and the adapter mount. The legs are made of ultra light weight aluminum wich keeps them portable while still remaining fairly durable. The mount is a simple plastic clip which uses a standard 1/4″ 20 thread camera screw size which makes it usable on most any tripod on the market. An extremely nice feature of this tripod is it’s adjustably, it can truly be manipulated to be able to take photos from nearly any angle you would ever need, however it does become a little unstable when shifted too far to one side. A helpful tip I found though is that while unstable for taking photos shifting the mount all of the way to one side can help in another way by doubling as a steady hand grip for shooting video.

Blur GripMobile Mechatronics didn’t stop there though, they also put together a $0.99 Blur Tripod app to accompany the tripod. It offers several features including a Time Delay shot (yay… I can finally take my own self portraits), and a Multi-shot bust, each of which can have their variables changed to fit the need of the situation. The Muti-shot burst includes another cool setting for taking time-lappsed pictures over a 24 hour span. I personally can’t imagine not being able to touch my phone for a day but its still a neat idea. In addition, there is also an easy to calibrate level for making sure each picture comes out straight and even. My only real complaint about the app is that you don’t have control over what it’s focusing on, once this option is added it truly will be a full companion to its hardware counterpart.

Overall, it’s a great little accessory that can add a whole new dimension to your phone. If you’re someone who would even think about taking decent photos with an iPhone, I fully encourage you to pick this one up.

Iphone Media
3G iPhone Downloads!


Eliminate the Blur with a Tripod

Blog, Blur, Hardware, Steady, Tripod, accessories, accessory, camera, pictures

Blur TripodI’ve personally never really believed it when someone would tell me that the iPhone’s camera isn’t bad for a phone. After all, I would take picture after picture and the majority would come out, usually with a string of words which I won’t repeat, blurry and unrecognizable. As I hustled around CES last week taking pictures and spilling coffee all over myself, it was actually Chris Hall who so graciously pointed out, in between laughs of course, that it was probably my pitifully shaky hands that was the problem and not the camera itself. As it turns out, he was right, for once, and for the past few days I’ve been using the Blur Tripod and have formed a new opinion regarding my camera phone.

Priced at $14.95, the Blur Tripod is exactly what you think it is, a tripod for an iPhone. A mini tripod to be precise, which stands about 5.5 inches off the ground or up to 8 inches if you extend the legs all the way. The unit itself comes in two separate parts, the legs and the adapter mount. The legs are made of ultra light weight aluminum wich keeps them portable while still remaining fairly durable. The mount is a simple plastic clip which uses a standard 1/4″ 20 thread camera screw size which makes it usable on most any tripod on the market. An extremely nice feature of this tripod is it’s adjustably, it can truly be manipulated to be able to take photos from nearly any angle you would ever need, however it does become a little unstable when shifted too far to one side. A helpful tip I found though is that while unstable for taking photos shifting the mount all of the way to one side can help in another way by doubling as a steady hand grip for shooting video.

Blur GripMobile Mechatronics didn’t stop there though, they also put together a $0.99 Blur Tripod app to accompany the tripod. It offers several features including a Time Delay shot (yay… I can finally take my own self portraits), and a Multi-shot bust, each of which can have their variables changed to fit the need of the situation. The Muti-shot burst includes another cool setting for taking time-lappsed pictures over a 24 hour span. I personally can’t imagine not being able to touch my phone for a day but its still a neat idea. In addition, there is also an easy to calibrate level for making sure each picture comes out straight and even. My only real complaint about the app is that you don’t have control over what it’s focusing on, once this option is added it truly will be a full companion to its hardware counterpart.

Overall, it’s a great little accessory that can add a whole new dimension to your phone. If you’re someone who would even think about taking decent photos with an iPhone, I fully encourage you to pick this one up.

Iphone Media
3G iPhone Downloads!




Search

You are currently browsing the archives for the accessory category.

Pages

Categories

Archives

iPhoneFan
Wordpress Theme

Designed by Bacteriano based on iPhone PSD file designed by Manicho.