By Staff Writer – John Federico (@gadgetboy)

As I’ve written before, I’m impressed by the innovation of many companies that produce accessories for the iPhone. When the iPhone 3GS was launched, many of those accessories attempted to improve video and audio recording, making your phone a much more capable device for capturing video on-the-go.

In fact, I even bought one of those accessories. (I’m the proud owner of number 93 of the first 500 OWLE Bubo’s ever made.) Sure, it adds a little weight and bulk to the phone, but it’s easy to stash in my bag and use at a moment’s notice.

With portability and quick setup in mind, let me introduce the Steadicam Smoothie for the iPhone, winner of 2010 CES Innovations Award.

For those of you who don’t know what a Steadicam is, the concept is pretty simple: it provides a counterbalance and pivoting handheld (or sometimes torso-mount) for a camera that keeps your shots steady while you’re moving.

It’s an impressive piece of kit but makes me scratch my head in wonder.

The iPhone 3GS and it’s video capabilities are a replacement for, say, a Flip camera. It shoot decent video and it’s one less thing to carry around.

It’s perfect for capturing quick moments with your friends or your kids, which is actually how it’s depicted in the photo above.

Now, look at the size of this thing. Are you really going to carry around a Steadicam at the waterpark or even stash it in your bag?

Put more simply, the size and use cases are impractical. Even though there’s no word on pricing yet, unless this thing is under $50, I really don’t know who is going to buy it. However, it’s listed in the company’s “professional” category so the price may not shock the pros.

Once again, kudos to the Steadicam folks on an interesting innovation and I hope it succeeds, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

[CNET]

Disclosure of Material Connection: http://dsclzr.us/0

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Tags: iPhone , iPhone 3Gs , iPhone Audio Accessories , iPhone Steadicam , iPhone Video Accessories , OWLE Bubo , Steadicam , Steadicam iPhone , Steadicam Smoothee