Tag Archives: gimbal

MagSafe phone stand concept adds hands-free face tracking for perfect framing

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Video calls have become a staple of online communication today, whether it’s for meetings or even just personal one-on-one calls. Unfortunately, the devices we use for video calls haven’t caught up quickly with the trend, and we’re only recently seeing webcams with better sensors or phone stands with better angles. Even then, however, there is still some missing aspects to make these videos more engaging and natural.

This simple-looking phone stand tries to deliver that missing piece by making sure that the user’s face is always within the frame during those video calls. It isn’t a one-trick pony, though, and can keep your phone’s battery topped up or be an interesting piece of desk decor even when not in use.

Designer: Kunal Wagh

Webcams are admittedly getting more sophisticated, both in terms of hardware as well as software. While those integrated into laptop screen bezels are limited to simply upgrading their imaging sensors, external cameras are now sporting stabilizers and gimbals. There are also apps that do automatic focus, zooming, and framing. That’s all fine if you’re using your computer, but not if your smartphone is your device of choice.

Orbit is a design concept for a phone stand that brings those features to mobile devices. It’s practically a MagSafe-compatible charging stand with a unique, minimalist design that makes it look good even when not in use. It pretty much looks like a miniature trophy, with a dome-like shape on top held aloft by two thin arms.

Simply place the phone on the stand and go about your video call or even watch videos. Orbit will simply follow your face to make sure that you always have a clear view of the screen or that your face is always in frame. The concept doesn’t exactly explain the software that makes this possible, but it’s not that difficult to pull off given today’s technology.

Of course, it also functions as a charger to make sure your battery never goes empty, whether you’re on a call or not. Unlike a phone gimbal, Orbit’s simpler design makes it suitable for use almost anywhere, even when away from your desk, as long as you have a power source to keep that charger and internal motors running.

The post MagSafe phone stand concept adds hands-free face tracking for perfect framing first appeared on Yanko Design.

Forget the iPhone 16 Camera Control, this Gimbal Attachment gives any smartphone a DSLR experience

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A shutter button, a built-in gimbal for landscape and portrait shooting, a zoom wheel, an integrated LED ring light, a tripod setting, and even an external battery pack to boost your phone’s battery. The Snappy offers way more for photography enthusiasts than the iPhone 16 does. It attaches onto any smartphone, giving you a bona fide DSLR-like experience, complete with an ergonomic grip. When you don’t need to shoot content, the Snappy pops right off, turning your handheld camera back into a daily driver smartphone.

Designer: Buddiesman

Click Here to Buy Now: $89 $149 (40% Off) Hurry! Only 21 of 520 left. Raised over $101,000.

Just three weeks ago, Apple debuted the iPhone 16 line-up, adding one crucial new hardware feature to their phones – a Camera Control ‘button’. Designed to help intuitively capture photos without having to fiddle with on-screen controls, the capacitive button lets you perform a variety of actions from zooming, switching between presets, adjusting focal length, or even accessing other key camera features. With the Camera Control, Apple’s reinforced its idea that the smartphone is a great camera first, and then a good mobile device… the only problem is that great cameras are more than just fancy lenses and sensors. Enter the Snappy mobile grip, a device designed to transform the way we take photos on our phones. With its motorized gimbal providing single-axis stabilization, Snappy quickly becomes a trusted companion for anyone tired of blurry images or shaky videos. Unlike larger gimbals such as DJI’s Osmo, Snappy brings stabilization in a small, portable form—making it a solution that fits right into your pocket.

Designed by Buddiesman, a Hong Kong-based manufacturer of photographic gear, Snappy’s centerpiece is its motorized, spring-loaded clamp that securely grips your smartphone. This clamp adjusts easily to accommodate a range of phone sizes, so you won’t have to worry about removing your phone case to make it fit. The ergonomic grip attached to the clamp gives the device a comfortable feel, while an articulated arm allows the phone to be rotated seamlessly between landscape and portrait modes with the flick of a thumbwheel. Powered by a brushless motor, this feature also gives the Snappy stabilizing gimbal-like abilities, ensuring your phone stays level, even during handheld video shoots.

Plug your phone in and it literally feels like a professional camera-mimicking rig for your phone. Use any phone you want with the Snappy and it gives you the added benefit of being able to intuitively capture content the way you would with a more pro-facing device like a DSLR or mirrorless camera. A shutter button on the top lets you easily take photos and record videos without fumbling to touch the screen or hit a volume button to take the shot (like you would with most smartphones). The grip feels instantaneously comfortable, allowing you to point and shoot with a single hand. Worried you’ll accidentally drop your phone? The Snappy has a built-in strap that lets you secure it to your hand too, so even the largest, heaviest of phones don’t put too much strain on that wrist of yours.

If there’s something a photographer hates more than phone cameras, it’s the flashlight on phone cameras. The flashlight is way too coarse, and no self-respecting photographer uses it unless absolutely necessary. To fix that, the Snappy comes with its own multi-LED built-in ring light. Located just beside the phone’s lenses (where you’d expect the MagSafe ring to line up), users can toggle between cool and warm light settings simply by tapping the touch-sensitive zone inside the ring, adjusting brightness to get the perfect shot regardless of the lighting conditions. This feature is perfect for low-light environments where smartphone cameras traditionally struggle.

For even greater flexibility, Snappy allows users to detach the grip from the main body, turning it into a wireless remote. With a range of up to 10 meters (33 feet), you can take photos and videos from a distance, offering a new level of creativity and control in framing your shots. With the remote detached (or even with the remote unit still on), the Snappy can be used as a tripod of sorts, propping your phone up so you don’t need to hold it in your hands. Perfect for using as a phone stand while reviewing the footage you’ve shot, or propping your phone up to take a remote video/photo while you stand away from your camera, this feature gives the Snappy one remarkable ability that neither phones nor DSLR cameras have, barring actually buying a tripod of course. And just in case you’re a tripod purist, the Snappy has a tripod mount too. Want to add accessories to your smartphone camera? The Snappy also includes a cold shoe mount for attaching additional peripherals like microphones or even external lights just in case the ring light on the device isn’t enough.

The Snappy relies on a built-in battery that powers this entire experience. Although the battery’s capacity (and use time) is a bit of a mystery, the folks at Buddiesman tout that the Snappy can transform into a power bank for your smartphone when you’re running low on juice. Just connect your phone to the Snappy’s charging port via a USB-C cable and it instantly begins recharging your phone, giving you the benefit of a gimbal that also enhances your phone’s battery life along with its camera capabilities.

Currently available on Kickstarter, early adopters can secure a Snappy with a pledge of $89, while the retail price is set to be $149 once it hits the market. The $89 kit includes the Snappy itself, although you can upgrade to a bundle that also includes an add-on tripod and an external light that mounts into the Snappy’s cold shoe adapter. With its combination of user-friendly design and professional-grade features, Snappy could very well bridge the gap between smartphones and traditional cameras, bringing the best of both worlds to your pocket. They say the best camera is the one that’s in your pocket. No matter whether it’s the Google Pixel, a Samsung Galaxy, or even older variants of the iPhone, the Snappy turns your phone’s camera into a makeshift pro-grade shooter that’s perfect for turning average photos and videos into polished content.

Click Here to Buy Now: $89 $149 (40% Off) Hurry! Only 21 of 520 left. Raised over $101,000.

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OBSBOT Tail Air AI-powered 4K PTZ Streaming Camera Review: It Doesn’t Get Easier Than This

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PROS:


  • Impressive tracking accuracy even for small objects

  • Supports 4K 30fps video recording

  • NDI|HX3 support for multi-cam setup

CONS:


  • No iOS app yet as of this writing (coming soon)

  • Smart remote control and NDI keys per unit are separate purchases

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

With fast and accurate AI auto-tracking, 4K 30fps recording, and a powerful mobile app, the OBSBOT Tail Air PTZ camera brings pro-level streaming quality in a sleek and affordable package.

Live streaming has proven to be more than just a passing fad. It has become a way of life for many, while some even make their livelihood from this form of media. While anyone with a smartphone can get started with live streaming, decent and professional-quality videos require a bit more effort and investment in the right tools. Unfortunately, many of the “pro” tools come in bulky, expensive, and complicated packages, widening the gap between famous stars and aspiring influencers. Fortunately, there are also brands that aim to empower content creators from all walks of life, delivering tools that will allow them to do more with less, such as the new OBSBOT Tail Air streaming camera that promises a ton of smart features in such a small package. Naturally, we had to check it out to see for ourselves if the 4K PTZ camera’s unassuming appearance belie the power it possesses.

Designer: OBSBOT

Aesthetics

Cameras designed for capturing action live and transmitting the video in real-time come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The boxy forms of action cameras are common these days, while the thick sticks of gimbals still look awkward in public. These small cameras, however, are engineered more for capturing fast-paced movement, both of the target and especially of the user. Cameras for live streaming, on the other hand, are often placed in a single spot and have a different set of problems to tackle, particularly that of tracking their targets. Because of their different purpose, they also tend to have different designs, most of which seem to take more after action cams and security systems.

The OBSBOT Tail Air embodies the principle of simplicity and minimalism in its design, bearing no more than what’s necessary for it to function. There are no buttons other than one for power, and the connection ports are so subtle you might find yourself squinting to see them, especially in the dark. The main body is a simple and unadorned truncated cone, with a camera arm rising from one side. The design is compact and lightweight, making it easy to carry around in the provided case.

The OBSBOT Tail Air shaves a few grams off its weight by using plastic materials for its chassis, but that choice by no means makes the device look or feel cheap in any way. It actually feels solid and sturdy, and the matte texture gives it a stylish finish. All in all, the streaming camera has enough visual presence to look presentable in any environment without being distracting, allowing you to focus on the actual act of creating content rather than fussing over the device’s details.

Ergonomics

In addition to being lightweight, compact, and portable, the OBSBOT Tail Air’s usability comes from its ease of use. After the initial setup, you could almost just leave the camera running and forget about it, leaving it to the AI to follow you around and adjust the focus as needed. Of course, you’ll want to select some angles or framing, which is as easy as a single tap, but you can also just set up and go for a quick and short stream.

As mentioned earlier, there are no physical controls on the device itself, which is both a boon and a bane for its usability. Everything is controlled remotely, primarily through the OBSBOT Start mobile app, but there are also other options. On the one hand, that means you won’t be fussing over buttons and sliders on the camera when you should be focusing on recording. On the other hand, it also means you’re at the mercy of an external device or remote control, as well as wireless connectivity.

Although the app offers all the bells and whistles you can think of when recording and directing a video, you’re unlikely to be fiddling with a smartphone in the middle of a live stream. Fortunately, you won’t need another person to do that for you, at least not for basic camera controls. The OBSBOT Tail Air’s AI can recognize a few hand gestures that will make it lock on or unlock from a target, zoom in manually or dynamically, and, of course, start and stop recording. These gestures, on top of the camera’s excellent tracking, turn you into a one-man camera team, which is what most budding live streamers are.

This advanced gesture control does have a disadvantage when you have more than one OBSBOT Tail Air setup. All these cameras will be recognizing those same gestures, and you won’t have a way to remotely control one camera at a time. For multi-camera configurations, you’ll need OBSBOT’s Bluetooth remote control and, unfortunately, you’ll have to buy it separately from the cameras, or as part of a bundled offer if those are available.

Performance

With so many cameras today promising creators and streamers to take their output to the next level, it might be difficult to pick one out from the crowd. Fortunately, the OBSBOT Tail Air has a few tricks up its sleeves that easily set it apart, starting with the ability to shoot in 4K resolution at 30 fps rates, making it one of the few streaming cameras with this capability. This feature will come in handy with one of the camera’s AI features that lets you choose the framing of the scene with just a single camera.

The OBSBOT Tail Air’s headlining feature is, of course, its AI-powered tracking system. It can lock onto targets, even when those targets go out of frame for a few seconds, and follow that target at a speed of 120 degrees per second. It can do this from three axes, which is where it gets its PTZ or “Pan, Tilt, Zoom” label. That’s true not only for humans and objects but also for select animals such as cats, dogs, and, soon, horses. Tracking is fast and accurate, even for small objects like a teaspoon, which makes the camera also suitable for dramatic close-ups of objects, such as when you’re doing a product review.

AI powers many of the camera’s impressive features, including the innovative AI Director Grids available on the OBSBOT mobile app. The grid presents different frames of focus that you can select with a single tap, letting you easily switch from a close-up up facial shot to a full body shot, all with just one camera. The trick here is that OBSBOT Tail Air actually records video in 4K and then crops it up to a 1080p frame in real time. Considering most live streams are done in 1080p anyway, you aren’t really sacrificing much in terms of quality for the sake of some impressive framing.

There might come a time when you will want to actually work with multiple cameras, and the OBSBOT Tail Air has you covered as well. It supports the latest NDI or Network Device Interface technology that lets you hook up three of these cameras together and control them from a single computer that acts as mission control for the recording session. There’s a bit of initial setup involved, including buying one NDI access key per OBSBOT Tail Air camera and making sure they’re connected to the same local Ethernet network. Once those are out of the way, however, you have full control of an advanced yet easy-to-use multi-cam camera system to really take your live streams to the next level.

For most cases, especially with a single camera, you will be using the OBSBOT Start mobile app instead. It has everything you need to tweak the video recording settings, from those Director Grids to exposure and balance, pretty much like a standard digital camera. At the moment, this powerful app is available only for Android, but OBSBOT is already working on making an iOS version available soon. The one disadvantage to relying on an app for almost all of the controls is that you need a network connection with the OBSBOT Tail Air camera. That’s no problem when stable Wi-Fi is available, but you’d be forced to use a cellular connection when it’s not. That’s true even if you’re recording directly to the device’s microSD card instead of live streaming, so you’ll have to be aware of potential data charges. That’s what makes the Bluetooth remote control almost a necessity, even if it’s a separate purchase.

Aside from its excellent auto-tracking, the OBSBOT Tail Air’s video output is actually impressive as well, even when there’s little light around. That’s thanks to the 1/1.8-inch CMOS sensor with a large 2-micrometer pixel and an equally large f/1.8 lens aperture. Of course, it does its best with bright lighting, but low-light scenarios still deliver decent videos, though with some hiccups in tracking and autofocus. The camera’s gimbal performs the minimal required stabilization, but it becomes immediately clear that this isn’t an action camera. Yes, it can record and stream sports scenes and the like, but it’s best when it’s put on a stable and non-moving platform rather than in your hand. The camera’s internal battery gives you about two hours of use, shorter when doing 4K, and an hour and a half to charge, though you could continue using the camera while charging to minimize downtime.

Sustainability

Action and streaming cameras are relatively new product categories, though they have been around for a few years now. There’s quite a good number of them around, even, which makes their presence also a cause for concern when it comes to the environment. As with any fast-growing consumer electronics segment, there is bound to be plenty of waste during the product production and lifecycle, not to mention increased use of non-sustainable materials, components, and processes. However, that also means there’s plenty of room for improvement and growth, and hopefully, this young company will also set itself apart from its peers in this regard.

Unfortunately, there’s also not much that can be said about the product’s longevity and repairability. As a “static” live streaming camera, it seems that the OBSBOT Tail Air was designed with indoor use primarily in mind, which could explain the lack of any dust or water resistance guarantee. The repair policy is also pretty standard, which means it only covers a small subset under warranty and has to be shipped back to the manufacturer if they do qualify. Repairing them by yourself is pretty much out of the question.

Value

In a world of advanced smartphone cameras and action cams, does a dedicated streaming camera like the OBSBOT Tail Air still matter? The answer is a resounding “yes!” especially considering how much it offers without too much cost. It offers an excellent video recording and streaming experience that you’d be hard-pressed to find without having to buy separate products, like a gimbal, monitor, and additional sets for a multi-camera setup. In other words, the OBSBOT Tail Air crams all those desirable features in a single package, one that starts at around $478.

That price includes a 4K camera that can produce impressive videos even in low light, an excellent AI-powered target tracking system, out-of-the-box support for a multi-cam setup, and an intelligent mobile app that puts you in total control of the stream’s direction. What it doesn’t include, however, is a remote control that is honestly almost essential rather than an add-on, not unless you get it as part of the crowdfunding reward or a bundle. You’ll also need a separate NDI authorization code for each OBSBOT Tail Air device, which you need to buy for $98 if you ever want to have a multi-cam live stream. OBSBOT could have thrown these into the basic package for a slightly higher price tag, but it’s also understandable why it didn’t. Not everyone will have a multi-cam setup, so they might not want to pay for something they’ll never use. Shipping a remote control with each camera when that remote can connect to as many as three will also be wasteful. Hopefully, OBSBOT will offer bundles that include these when the product becomes available on shelves.

Verdict

Some will definitely roll their eyes, but there are definitely people who consider being a live streamer, YouTuber, or “influencer” to be their dream job. Whether it’s for earning money, sharing knowledge, or just having fun, there’s no denying that live streaming is already a major part of our culture today. It’s definitely easy to get started as long as you have a smartphone, but it’s not that easy to step up your game without devices or at least some accessories that give your streams a professional quality.

That’s the kind of assistance that the OBSBOT Tail Air 4K PTZ Streaming Camera is bringing to the table, especially for solo steamers. With reliable AI-powered tracking that accurately follows even small objects, an impressive 4K camera that performs admirably in both bright and dim environments, and a no-fuss easy-to-use mobile app, this streaming camera is basically all you need for pro-level content. And when you’re ready to graduate to a multi-camera setup, the built-in NDI support will let you easily expand and control up to three OBSBOT Tail Air cameras from a single computer to direct your best production yet, helping you on your journey to Internet stardom.

The post OBSBOT Tail Air AI-powered 4K PTZ Streaming Camera Review: It Doesn’t Get Easier Than This first appeared on Yanko Design.

Sony VLOG-001: A Handheld 3-Axis Stabilized Camera Concept That Resonates with DJI Pocket 2

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Sony is an absolute behemoth in the camera space, pretty much dominating the sensor market with its high-quality CMOS sensors that form the bedrock of most camera systems. However, the company (which has pretty much created every product under the sun from robot dogs to bouncing/dancing speakers) hasn’t made much progress beyond professional cameras, smartphone cameras, and the odd CCTV security camera (yes, they exist). The VLOG-001 puts that fact to rest by proposing a unique concept for a Sony-branded 3-axis handheld action/vlogging camera.

Designer: Priyanshu Jaiswal (Stang.ID)

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Designed during Advanced Design’s Offsite Cohort, the VLOG-001 is a culmination of all of Sony’s high-end consumer electronics products. It picks up on design cues from its mirrorless cameras, hi-fi audio players, TWS earbuds, and even the SRS-RA3000 – one of Sony’s most absurd high-end speakers.

Simply put, the VLOG-001 is Sony’s answer to the DJI Pocket, a category-defining handheld camera with its own built-in 3-axis stabilizer. Designed to bring DJI’s drone technology to the handheld format, the Pocket (formerly called the Osmo Pocket) set a new standard for handheld vlogging. While the company clearly enjoys the limelight in this category, sharing the vlogging space only with Insta360 (as GoPro fades into obscurity), the VLOG-001 tries to imagine a future where Sony has a dog in the handheld gimbal-cam market too.

The handheld camera is reminiscent of Sony’s professional cameras, and comes with the same faux leather textured grip seen on most DSLRs and mirrorless builds. The bronze-accented black design is a nod to the company’s high-end Walkman audio players, while the controls borrow directly from its camera and music-player interfaces. Knobs, buttons, and switches let you control the camera on the fly (even while recording), and the gimbal-mounted single lens captures either the recorder (for vloggers) or what’s ahead simply by flipping around 180°. The camera can also alternate between landscape and portrait-style shooting formats, and a fold-out display (reminiscent of the Handicam days) lets you view what you’re recording. The display is measurably larger than the one found on the DJI Pocket 2, and the VLOG-001 does it one better by also coming with a built-in flash for low-light recording.

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How this smartphone gimbal concept wants to take vlogs to the next level and in style

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As smartphone cameras get more powerful, the content coming from almost anyone and everyone these days has also increased drastically. Short-form videos, popularized by platforms like TikTok, are all the rage, especially because of their low barriers to entry in both technical requirements and quality. That’s just at the beginning, though, because as more people start doing these short vlogs, their profitability will also increase, and so will expectations of quality. Even now, we are already seeing influencer hopefuls trying to get their game on by attaching their phones to awkward and unsightly sticks. This design concept tries to make a break from those typical phone gimbals and presents an accessory that not only meets the needs of these content creators but also matches their aesthetic tastes and lifestyles.

Designer: Woojin Jang

Gimbals are a staple in photography and cinematography, using a combination of sensors and motors to counteract the effects of movement and jitter, producing clean photos and smooth videos. While the more powerful smartphone cameras today boast of some form of stabilization or another, nothing beats the combination of that stabilizer and a dedicated gimbal. Unfortunately, the handheld gimbals that exist for smartphones today are pretty much like fat sticks of metal or plastic. They’re definitely functional, but they’re also unpleasant to look at, making vloggers and mobile photographers really stand out, and not in a good way.

(Sphere) is an attempt to design a phone accessory that is both functional and fashionable. Instead of a stick that dwarfs the phone that it is supposed to support, it comes as a spherical attachment that magnetically sticks to the back of a phone, staying mostly out of sight. The sphere’s semi-transparent shell gives it a bit of a futuristic flair while also exposing some of its mechanisms to spark some interest. It uses Apple MagSafe technology to accomplish that, though it’s not hard to imagine a future where phones other than the iPhone would have a similar magnetic personality as well.

The gimbal concept is significantly smaller than anything in the market, so it has to make some compromises to maintain its compact form. For example, it doesn’t have its own sensors but instead relies on the iPhone’s gyroscope to get the data necessary to stabilize the phone. It does have a brushless DC (BLDC) motor, though, which is responsible for moving the phone in the opposite direction of the motion to create that stabilizing effect. Thanks to MagSafe and NFC technologies, the (Sphere) doesn’t need to have big and heavy hardware to work, making it simpler and more comfortable to use.

Granted, it might not exactly have the most ergonomic grip, since your hand will be holding a ball directed toward your face. At the same time, not everyone might find that spherical shape to their tastes, though it’s certainly an improvement over thick sticks. At the very least, (Sphere) tries to challenge current handheld gimbal conventions, offering a different way to design a product that caters not just to technical needs but also to the aesthetic tastes of its target audience.

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ZHIYUN CRANE – M 3S: Igniting a New Era of Dynamic Filmmaking

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ZHIYUN, a leading innovator in the professional stabilizer market, has recently launched two groundbreaking products that are set to revolutionize visual storytelling. Among them is the highly anticipated CRANE – M 3S, an ultra-portable gimbal that brings unprecedented convenience and creative control to content creators. In this article, we will delve into the remarkable features of the ZHIYUN CRANE – M 3S and explore how it is poised to shape the future of filmmaking. Portability and Wider Camera Compatibility As the successor to the award-winning CRANE M3, the ZHIYUN CRANE – M 3S builds upon its predecessor’s success and takes…

The post ZHIYUN CRANE – M 3S: Igniting a New Era of Dynamic Filmmaking first appeared on Trendy Gadget.

This futuristic-looking phone controller puts a literal spin on shooting videos

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Many of us today use our smartphones not only to take pictures but also to record videos. Some even use their mobile devices to play games that require them to point their phones’ cameras at certain things or people. In fact, some think that this kind of augmented reality or AR experience could become more commonplace in the future. Holding our phones in our hands for these seems like the most natural way to use them, but they might not be the most efficient nor the safest. Monopods, a.k.a. the notorious selfie sticks, at one point became so popular exactly because of that, while phone gimbals also started popping to give budding filmmakers a hand. AR gamers, however, don’t neatly fit these groups, so this concept of a gun-shaped phone controller tries to envision what their future could look like, presuming this type of gaming actually takes off.

Designer: Gihawoo Design (UGLY.DUCKLING)

1

Tech companies, especially one particular social network giant, would have us believe in a future where augmented reality is the way we experience the world around us. Without comfortable and “normal” AR glasses, however, that future might still be a long time coming. In the meantime, there are already ways to experience a bit of that augmented reality, particularly through our smartphones. Games like Pokemon GO and navigation apps are just the tip of the iceberg, and there might still be a few other AR applications and experiences coming in the near future.

Holding a phone while using such AR apps might not be the most ideal. Sure, it’s fine for a casual game like Pokemon GO, but anything more intensive might require a more stable grip, not to mention more flexible controls. Telegun is a concept that delivers exactly that in a form that may make more sense considering its primary gaming application. It’s pretty much like a phone gimbal in the shape of a toy gun. Compared to a wand that you have to hold upright, pointing with this accessory feels almost like second nature, especially if you’re playing an AR game that involves shooting virtual objects overlaid on top of the real world.

Telegun’s use, however, extends beyond AR gaming, and it can also serve as a normal phone holder for shooting videos. A phone can be mounted either horizontally or vertically, and the joints make it easy to keep the phone stable at an angle rather than relying on your shaking arm. It also has its own built-in camera, so you can record videos even without a phone, though it might look more awkward that way, not to mention concerning for bystanders.

This phone controller is definitely a unique way to mount a phone, whether for gaming or recording videos. Its minimalist gun-shaped design almost makes it look like a prop from a sci-fi show. It’s arguable whether basing it off a gun is a smart or safe choice, but compared to a typical phone gimbal or monopod, it’s definitely a more ergonomic and convenient form.

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This compact + unidirectional phone gimbal brings convenience and function to solo vlogging

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Fountain Studio came about with this cool gimbal for phones after reverse-engineering the existing products. It is like an EDC – a gimbal that brings the benefits of market-leading stabilizers minus the weight and volume!

Smartphones have become more of an extension of our body one can say. The compactness and multitude of utilities of this revolutionary gadget have made it a staple for almost everyone on the planet. The phone can be your trusted photography buddy for clicks in a jiffy or a creative tool for making some pressing videos. This is where a good quality gimbal for your phone comes into play – adding a layer of professional stabilization to otherwise shaky footage or action shots.

The current best options on the market for a trusted phone gimbal come in the form of Zhiyun Smooth 4 which has a lot of useful buttons and apps. Not far behind is the DJI OM 4 gimbal which is more suited for Apple users. While both these options are great, I certainly crave something that’s lightweight, has a compact form factor and is easy to keep with you at all times. And of course, an option that’s not as pricey as the ones on the market – most newbie content creators don’t have that sum of money to invest on a gimbal alone!

Fountain Studio seems to have struck the right notes with their proposed concept for a smartphone gimbal for solo content creators who longed for such an accessory. The Gimbal Griptok doesn’t come with the baggage of bulkiness and boasts an ergonomic design. The actuation of movement is done with the onboard inertial measurement device (IMU) and the brushless motor which provides the subtle corrections for resulting stable footage. Another problem the gimbal addresses is the extension of the cradle to the left or right to hold the phone in position.

The design studio went ahead with testing and verifying the size and usability of the gimbal design. Finally, the 3D printing technique was used to create the prototype. This prototype (and hopefully the final product) uses MagSafe technology to keep the gimbal secured to the phone at all times. For other devices, the magnet accessory attaches to the back of the phone and on top goes the Gimbal Griptok. The user can rotate the phone at any angle and any direction with this gimbal – which is a great advantage for vloggers.

Designer: Fountain Studio

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The CliqueFie Sway offers battery-less single-axis stabilization in an incredibly slick, pocket-friendly design

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Working on just one axis to cut out your hand’s jitter, the CliqueFie Sway gives you shake-free footage that doesn’t need to be optically stabilized in post-production. The slim little gimbal runs without a battery and is perfect for small-time creators or even enthusiasts who like taking videos in and around the city. While the gimbal isn’t equipped to work on rough trails while in your car, or while trekking, it’s perfect for a casual walk around the city.

A finalist at the iF Design Award, the Sway’s sleek design is perhaps its biggest highlight. The product relies on a foldable design, with plain cylindrical surfaces that have a minimalist style that makes the product look simple to use and lightweight enough to carry. The gimbal itself is smartly designed to work without a battery and a motor by utilizing the strength of gravity to help cancel out any hand-jitter, resulting in smoother videos.

With its tension dial and slide lock, either professional or amateur videographers can easily control and adjust the swing rate while filming and can lock the angle when needed. This simplifies operation and shooting, yet maximizes the phone camera’s built-in capabilities to capture footage from any viewing angle.

Designer: CRE8 for CliqueFie