There must be a kazillion mini tripods for smartphones out there, and probably about half as many ergonomic hand grips designed to minimize shaky video. WOXOM’s SlingShot device, however, combines the two – it’s a smartphone hand grip that can be converted into a table top tripod.
Although the SlingShot’s rubber-padded polymer cradle is designed specifically to accommodate the iPhone, it will reportedly work with any make or model of smartphone – with or without a case, and even when held upside down.
A ball-and-socket joint connects the cradle to the grip. For hand-held shots, the angle between the two sections can be adjusted to the user’s liking, then tightened down. While the use of such a grip is indeed likely to result in less shakes, it should be noted that the SlingShot is not the same sort of device as the SteadiCam Smoothee or the SteadeeGo, in which the phone sort of “floats” semi-independently of the grip.
When a steady shot is really important, however, two folding legs can be extended out of the grip’s main body, turning it into a mini tripod. Additionally, the phone cradle (which can be detached from the grip) has a threaded hole in the bottom, so it can be mounted on a standard tripod if desired.
The SlingShot is available now, for US$20.
