The JackPod! is an interesting Kickstarter for a new, universal tripod mount for iPhone, iPod Touch, and any other smartphone-sized device. Rather than clamp to or clip on your iPhone or Android device, it mounts your smartphone to a tripod using its external headset jack.
We’ve got exclusive info, video, and links after the jump. >>>
According to the developer, Joe Simon, the JackPod! is a truly universal smartphone-to-tripod mount that works with ANY phone in ANY case on ANY tripod. By using the phone’s headphone jack, the JackPod! is low-cost, easy-to-use, and phone-independent. The just launched campaign already is 10% funded with 90+ backers.
Basically, the JackPod! is a small, lightweight device with a standard tripod thread mount at the base and two non-metallic plugs that supports your iPhone, Android or other smartphone. You can get in on the JackPod! for about $10 and that includes shipping.
Among the things that I like about the JackPod are that it’s truly universal. It’ll work in any device with a standard headphone jack. It’s very small and weighs in at just under a quarter of an ounce. It works in both horizontal and vertical modes.
The JackPod! works on devices with or without a case. This is a big plus for me. I’m a big case guy; a good case offers a lot of protection for your iPhone’s body and camera lens.
My big concern though, is that using the iPhone’s headphone jack to support the weight of the device may cause damage to the iPhone’s circuit board and possibly even cause parts of it to separate internally. I caught up with Mr. Simon and pointed that out.
Mr. Simon replied:
“We had wondered about the same thing when we first started testing prototypes, but have not experienced any headphone jack failures to date. When I review the various phone breakdown images, the headphone jacks are consistently housed in separate enclosures that are rarely even removed in these tear downs. The torque from the Jackpod! is placed on the housing and the case, not the electronics.
“We also evaluated using different materials and wondered whether it not that may cause any issue but were pointed towards the headphone “charms” that add a jewel or other decoration to phones via the headphone jack. These have been used successfully for years without issue.
“Finally, by using a molded plastic design and not metal, we prevent the phone from recognizing “headphones” and disabling the speakers. In early prototypes, we quickly learned that using an actual headphone plug prevent us from being able to hear the shutter or camera countdown beeps.
“The product has been tested and used actively for several months and has not experienced any headphone jack problem on any of the phones we have used.”
Here are the links to the Kickstarter project with more info. A minimum $10 pledge gets you a JackPod! but there are other levels with more goodies as well. The JackPod! will only be funded if at least $16,500 is pledged by Wednesday Apr 3, 8:00pm EDT.
Kickstarter Link: JackPod! – Truly Universal Smartphone | Tripod Mount
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