Review: Shoulderpod S1

On each vacation I've taken in the last few years, I've taken a compact digital camera along with my iPhone. However, with each iPhone revision, the camera gets so much better that I reconsider my choice to take a camera. The camera has a few features that the iPhone doesn't have, but the differences are so minor.

The only thing that I seem to miss using the iPhone is simply how it feels and how easy it is to hold. I had read about the Shoulderpod S1 as a grip for the iPhone. I didn't back it on KIckstarter, but it made it "to the big leagues" as I found it on Amazon.

I ordered it a few days for my last vacation and when it arrived, I adjusted it for my phone and tried it out. Its premise is pretty simple; provide a hand held mount for your smartphone. Operating it is easy; just adjust the screw and put your iPhone in it. I used it for a bunch of shots and being able to hold the phone without the fear of dropping it and being able to stablize it was very convenient. I didn't take many movies, but the movies I did were less shaky. I also used it to take a timed shot and it worked well mounted on my Gorillapod mount.

The biggest "problem" with the Shoulderpod is that when I had it attached, I couldn't really fit my phone in my pocket, so I kept taking it off my iPhone and reattaching it. This was a little inconvenient, but I'm not sure it was the fault of the little device.

Pros

• Makes it easy to hold an iPhone.
• Supports my iPhone 6 and other smartphones; very adjustable.
• Standard tripod mount allows it to work with GorillaPod and other tripods.

Cons

• Some pieces are made out of plastic which made lead to issues down the line with reliability.
• Taking the Shoulderpod on and off is a little cumbersome and leaving it on doesn't fit in my pocket.

Summary

The Shoulderpod S1 makes a great addition to any smartphone user that relies exclusively on his or her phone for taking pictures on vacations or even for taking photos and videos of school functions, Holding my hold with just just a few fingers always has me nervous and the Shoulderpod's grip takes this away and stabilizes pictures. I'm sure others have gotten good at taking smartphone pictures, but I think that the Shoulderpod will make it even easier to take good pictures.

The price isn't that much and is a good addition to my travel bag. I will need to find a better way to deal with it so that I don't take it on or off, but I consider that a minor issue.

Review: Twelve South HiRise Deluxe iPhone Stand

One of themes in my backings on Kickstarter was the search for a stand for my iPhone. Unfortunately none of the products I backed were decent quality and a waste. I've read good things about the Twelve South HiRise Deluxe stands and decided to splurge (they're a bit more expensive than other stands). I was skeptical when I ordered it as the cable wasn't integrated in the stand and required me to supply my own; this didn't seem like a great design, but I was willing to give it a shot.

When I got the stand, I was impressed that it was designed for different thickness cases and the holder for the Lightning connector was quite solid. Setup was easy and I adjusted it for my case. I've been using it daily since September and it has performed flawlessly. I drop my phone in it and it charges; not much more to say about it. Since I work from home, I leave my phone in the stand most of the time and use Hey Siri to make my conference calls. It is a great angle for viewing and does well for conference calls. I should have gone with this stand instead of backing various Kickstarter projects (however, this stand uses a Lightning connector; I'm not sure it would have worked as well with the 30 pin connector).

Pros

• Handles different sized cases.
• Solid (it doesn't fall over).
• Good angle and height for holding up iPhone.
• Doesn't put extra stress on connector as phone is resting on the stand and not the connector.

Cons

• A little more expensive than the average stand.

Summary

This is an excellent stand for iPhones with the Lightning connector. I'm not sure how well it would work with the iPad mini like it claims. The cost is probably a little more than most people want to spend on a stand, but it is quite easy to just drop my iPhone into it when I'm at my desk. I'd definitely purchase this again.

Review: Anker 5-Port USB Charger

These days just about everything is powered by USB, and I never seem to have enough ports to charge the items. If I used individual chargers, I'd have a bunch of chargers on power strips and when I travel, I'd have a bunch of pieces to bring. So, when I started reading about multiple port chargers that would handle iPhones as well as the increased power required for iPads, I was quite intrigued. After further research, some chargers required me to plug iPads into certain ports and other devices into the other ports. This is cumbersome and when I saw the Anker® 40W 5-Port USB Charger where it would intelligently figure out what output is required for each port, I jumped at this.

The charger is pretty compact and its operation is simple, plug it in. I've been using it for travel on a number of trips and it is a real lifesaver. When I travel with my family, we have 3 iPads, 2 iPhones, my Pebble watch, and an external iPhone battery. While I don't have to charge all at once, it is quite handy to plug in 5 devices. It works as advertised and I haven't had any problems with it. Some reviews have indicated that the device arrived dead or overheated. I haven't seen those and it just works.

Pros

• Compact
• Handles multiple devices

Cons

• None

Summary

The only question about this is how many should you get? I recommend getting at least one to throw in a suitcase so it is always ready for travel. Getting a second one to leave on a desk isn't a bad idea either. While I don't have an Anker on my desk (I have a different one that is of lesser quality), having a charger on my desk is quite handy.

These do go on sale for about $20-$25 periodically, so I wouldn't pay more than that, but if you travel with more than 1 device, this is a great addition to any travel pack.

My Kickstarter Scorecard

Over the last few years, I've seen a number of interesting projects on Kickstarter. I've backed 10 of them and have had mixed results in the results. So far 9 of the items have been delivered and the last one is due to be delivered in a few months. Let's take a look at what I backed in chronological order:

• Icons for iOS

  While the author probably didn't need backing for this project, he did quite well and produced some nice icons. I received exactly what was promised and I'm pleased with the result. The author has continued to put out great icons. So I'll give this a thumbs up.

• The Oona

  This project was for a stand/way to hold an iPhone. Unfortunately, this was an utter failure. I reviewed what I got and wasn't too pleased. This will be a thumbs down.

• MySaver: protection for your iPad, iPhone, and iPod cables

  This was in interesting project designed to reinforce 30 pin iPhone/iPod cables. I reviewed this as well. While a bit expensive, this project delivered on what was promised. 3 years later and I still have cables with the MySaver on it that are doing well. We'll give this a thumbs up as well.

• MobileMount – Double Suction Cup Mount for Phones / Tablets

  As some might be able to tell, I've been in the search of a good way to hold my iPhone/iPad on my desk. This was another attempt to find a good way to hold the devices. Like other projects, I reviewed this as well. Unfortunately I've learned that suction cups are extremely unreliable and make poor mounts. This is a thumbs down.

• Pebble: E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android

  This project had a number of delays and it was well funded. Would this live up to all the hype? Well, 2 years after I received my Pebble, I still wear it everyday. When I first received it, I reviewed it. The product has only gotten better over time with all the updates. I'll this this a big thumbs up.

• Une Bobine - For People Who Love iPhone... and Android

  Another interesting project of a way to hold an iPhone. Unfortunately the longevity of this was limited given that Apple changed its connector. While they delivered what was promised, I wasn't wowed by it. I'll rate this as a neutral.

• Almond+ : 802.11ac Touchscreen WiFi Router + Smart home Hub

  I was excited to see another option for home automation. This project was delayed a number of times, but was finally delivered. They are still working on the firmware and a new firmware was released the other day. I think they over promised and barely delivered. The hardware seems up to snuff, but the software has a lot to be desired. I think this ranks in as a neutral (leaning on thumbs down, but since they keep updating the firmware, I'll leave it as a neutral).

• Reel Delicious

  I backed this project in order to help a school project (most of the backing was tax deductible). I'm going to give this a neutral as it doesn't fall in line with the tech projects I normally back.

• XY - The secure iOS/Android Bluetooth tracking tag

  A co-worker pointed me to this project and I was curious about the software on other Bluetooth LE tags. Unfortunately, like other Bluetooth LE tags, it didn't live up to the hype. I think that this is more of a failure of the technology than the implementation. I have to give this a thumbs down.

• Hush | The World's First Smart Earplugs

  These haven't been delivered, yet. I'm confident that they will be delivered, but it remains to be seen if they will work as well as they promise.

So, lets recap. 3 thumbs up, 3 thumbs down, 3 neutral, 1 to be delivered. That's not a great track record for projects. Will I keep backing projects on Kickstarter? Sure, I love the anticipation and being the first to get something new. I do have a limit on how much I'll risk (unlike other projects that people back, so far I've received the promised items), but I'll keep going with some projects.