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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• Steadicam Smoothee smooths out iPhone 3GS video (macworld.com)

SteadiCam For the iPhone Makes It Steadier, Less Portable is a post from: TechStartups.com

Last month I received my OWLE Bubo and have been very happy with it. The build quality of the Bubo and the subsequent image quality have both been great.

Factron, a manufacturer of iPhone and iPod cases and accessories, has released the SIMPLEX case and lens system for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.

Product shots and comparison after the jump.

The aluminum case allows you to screw on a variety of lenses including fisheye, super-wide and close-up though you’ll have to order them separately from Factron.

Oh – and did I mention that it’s $200?

The SIMPLEX is actually the second product of its type from Factron. The company also offers the steam-punkish Quattro for iPhone SP at a cost of $220.

Factron Quattro

Compared to the OWLE Bubo, both the SIMPLEX and Quattro seem like costly solutions.

The Bubo costs $99, is manufactured from a solid piece of aluminum, uses standard 37mm lenses and includes two lenses with covers, a silcone case, a Vericorder omnidirectional microphone with case and lens cleaner.

The $200 and $220 units from Factron may look nice and (I would guess) have good build-quality, but the cost is hard to swallow. For instance, the least expensive lens from Factron is $19.50 – you could easily spend an additional $40 to $50 on lenses plus the cost of the Vericorder for $19.99 and you’re now close to $275.

The only area of comparison where the Factron SIMPLEX and Quattro units score well is their smaller size. Though again, I find the Bubo’s large size to be one of it’s benefits as it houses four (4!) tripod threads and provides a much better grip and steadiness when shooting video.

Bottom Line

If you really want to improve the image quality of your iPhone and care about cost, get an OWLE Bubo. If smaller size and lighter weight are more important to you, get a Factron SIMPLEX or even a Quattro.

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

Factron Releases SIMPLEX Photo System for iPhone, OWLE Bubo Competitor is a post from: TechStartups.com

It’s here! Web 2.0 Expo New York takes place this week, November 16 – 19 and I’m gearing up to talk to some startups for TechStartups.com. I’l l have my OWLE Bubo paired with Reel Director on my iPhone and will be recording and posting video interviews right from the conference.

If you have an interesting startup you think we should cover, I’ll be there all day on Wednesday starting at 8 AM. Take a look at my calendar. If you and I have the same availability, send an email to john@techstartups.com, tell me about your company and what time you’d propose we meet.

ShamelessPlug: My only scheduling conflict on Wednesday, November 18th is my Lunch & Learn session during the Web2Open unconference from 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. Come on by to participate!

There will be some great sessions from Mitch Joel, Greg Cangialosi, J.C. Hutchins, Julien Smith, C. C. Chapman & Kristen Brandt, Valeria Maltoni and others – and it’s all free to participate. You can download the entire Web2Open schedule here.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/4

Startups: Come Talk With Us at Web 2.0 Expo New York is a post from: TechStartups.com

My OWLE Bubo arrived today!

I’m sure you’re probably asking yourself, “What the hell is that!?” (Don’t worry, I said the same thing.)

From the OWLE site:

“The OWLE (Optical Widget for Life Enhancement) Bubo is a camera mount; stabilizer, repositioned microphone, and 37 mm wide-angle lens built for the iPhone 3GS that improves the quality of mobile video.“

In simpler terms, it’s just the coolest video accessory for the iPhone 3GS yet. It vastly improves the quality of the video you can shoot on your iPhone 3GS. Sure, the additional lenses help but the ability to hold the camera steady using the Bubo also improves the video quality and with it’s four (4!) mounting threads, you can set it up on a tripod or monopod, depending on your needs.

Coupled with the Reel Director iPhone app, you have a mobile video recording rig in your pocket! You can shoot, edit, upload and syndicate, all from your iPhone.

How it Works

Insert your iPhone 3GS into the included silicone case, then insert the entire iPhone into the back of the Bubo. Now, turn on the camera application to make sure that the silicon case didn’t slide around a block the iPhone’s built-in lens. If it’s clear, you’re good to go.

The included macro and wide angle lens combination greatly improves your field of view. The Bubo accepts standard 37 mm lenses so you can add fixed telephoto lens at a later time.

Now, for the sound.

While the iPhone 3GS takes damn good video for a camera phone, it uses the standard telephone microphone to capture sound. That’s a problem since it naturally faces down, toward the bottom of the phone or to the right in landscape mode. This is great for phone calls but terrible for recording video with sound.

The Bubo comes with a Vericorder Mini Microphone that supports the iPhone 3GS headphone/microphone jack that is directional so you can aim it at your subject. The only downside is that it’s an omnidirectional microphone and picks up everything in the room. Still, it greatly improves the audio quality. If sound quality is a real concern for, say, video interviews, you might be better off with a lavalier mic from Giant Squid Audio Lab. You can see my video review here.

Full unboxing photos can be found here. I’ll post sample video in the coming days.

OWLE: The Company

OWLE was founded in Phoenix, Arizona by Harold Smith IV and Graham McBain. You can learn more about their experience creating the Bubo in this video from the Yahoo Developer Network.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

First Look: OWLE Bubo Unboxing is a post from: TechStartups.com