joby

As the saying goes: "The best camera is the one you have with you." More often than not, for me, that camera is my iPhone. I always have it on me, it's ready to take a photo in a matter of seconds, it takes amazing photos, and I can edit and share those photos all from the same device.

With the iPhone's camera continuing to be used more and more, there are plenty of accessories available to aid iPhone photographers in getting the best shot possible.

Here are five tools you should have in your bag:… Read more

Joby wants your tripod to become part of your camera--literally.

Five years after releasing its famed flexible GorillaPod, the company has added three new models to its portable-tripod line for point-and-shoots. The GorillaPod Micro line is different than the company's usual flexible tripods, however. It's the size of a USB drive, and is designed to screw onto your digital camera and stay there. The aluminum and zinc alloy legs can swivel out into a three-pronged tripod setup that resembles the older Joby models, but the tripod moves into a single point underneath the camera for storage.

The GorillaPod Micro 250 costs $19.95 and is made for cameras up to 8.8 ounces. The GorillaPod Micro 800 costs $29.95 and will suit cameras weighing up to 1.75 pounds.

Finally, the GorillaPod Hybrid costs $39.95--and may be good enough to replace traditional tripods for those with slightly higher-end cameras. It can hold cams up to 2.2 pounds and comes with a leveling tool to help frame shots. If you already have the original GorillaPod, this model will look pretty similar and you may want to think twice before buying it. I gave it a hands-on try by hooking it up to my video camera via an attachment for my iPhone. It held the camera sturdy when I placed the legs of the product on the ground to capture some unusual angles. Not bad. … Read more

Did you know the iPad 2 can do yoga? Yep. It can do poses like the spinal twist, plow, downward-facing dog, and feathered peacock--with a little help from Joby's new GorillaMobile Yogi case and stand for iPad 2. Snap the iPad 2 into the reinforced-plastic shell and wrap the limber but sturdy legs around just about anything to use your device hands-free (the aforementioned poses are just a few actually demonstrated in Joby's user manual).

You can bend the black knobby legs around your own leg while sitting in bed, twist them around the back of a car seat for movie viewing, or curl them around your neck for some iPad statement jewelry (though it would be hard to play Angry Birds like that).

We're giving away one Yogi for iPad 2 for this week's Crave giveaway. But the winner will get another new Joby iPad case and stand, the GorillaMobile Ori for iPad 2, as part of the package. The sleek Ori, named after the folding art of origami, can be folded into a number of positions for toting and propping your iPad. It's made from a superlight aluminum/polypropylene composite used in high-performance cars and is aimed at the mobile professional. The Yogi for iPad 2 goes for $39.95 and the Ori for $69.95, so you'll be getting a $110 value. (CNET's Scott Stein really liked the flexibility and design of both cases when he tried them out with a first-generation iPad earlier this year; the newer models have been adjusted to accommodate the addition of a camera to the iPad 2.) … Read more

Sometimes it feels like we've seen every iPad case in the universe--and then, there comes a weird new design that takes iPad culture to an even deeper level. Enter the Joby Gorillamobile Ori and Yogi cases, both of which transform--in different ways--into some positions that even made us blush.

We first got wind of these around CES, but we've finally gotten both into our office to check out in more detail. Both feature the same base iPad case--a rubber-reinforced plastic shell that snugly encases itself around the iPad, and offers some modicum of shock absorption (as we discovered … Read more

Joby, maker of a distinctive line of knobby-legged flexible tripods for cameras and other devices, has entered the iPad market with two products that serve both as cases and props.

First is a flexi-legged iPod holder called the GorillaMobile Yogi. It attaches with a protective polycarbonate case and can used to simply prop up an iPad in portrait or landscape orientation or, for the more adventurous, attach it to something with the legs. Joby suggests glomming it onto kitchen fixtures to show recipes, but I'd watch out for the flour and flecks of olive oil.

Second is a folding … Read more

Joby, the maker of the fun and versatile Gorillapod flexible tripods and other related products, released Gorillamobile for iPhone 4. It's a complete redesign of its product for the iPhone 3G/3GS, mainly switching from a full case that protected the sides and back to a simple bumper.

For $39.95, the kit includes a black, two-piece polycarbonate plastic snap-on bumper case, a 6.7-inch high Gorillapod flexible stand, and a universal camera adapter clip with screw so you can use the stand with a camera.

There are cutouts in the case for the dock connector, mic, speaker, headphone … Read more

We just posted a hands-on of the Gorillatorch Blade, and shortly after, Joby launched another flashlight, the Gorillatorch Switchback. Like the Blade, it's ultrabright, giving up to 130 lumens using an LED flashlight. Aside from operating as a compact lantern, it can also be converted into a headlamp just in case you decide to go spelunking.

Unlike the other Gorillatorch products, the legs do not come with neodymium magnets so you can attach it to metal objects. That's probably not that big a deal considering the Switchback is meant for the great outdoors--if you see a metal lamppost … Read more

The Joby Gorillatorch Blade is the latest in a line of hands-free flashlights that includes the Gorillatorch Original and the Gorillatorch Flare. While all three 'torches feature Joby's trademark flexible, bendable legs--a feature that originally debuted on the Gorillapod line of tripods--the Blade differentiates itself with an all-new chassis for the lamp and a few new features. It's also the most expensive, which may be a turn-off for casual users.

Starting with the Gorillatorch Blade's flashlight, the unit features an anodized black aluminum tube chassis that's about 6.25 inches long and 1.33 inches thick. The unit is IPX-5 water-resistant, which means you could probably douse it with a hose or rinse it in a sink, but you probably don't want to go submerging it. The unit's design also lends a bit of inherent shock-resistance. Dropping this guy onto concrete may mar the finish, but the functionality probably won't be affected.

Located at the business end of the lamp is the CREE XLamp XP-C LED. When Joby calls this guy ultra-bright, it's not just blowing smoke. Standard output from this LED is 65 lumens, which matches the output of the Gorillatorch Original and proved to be more than bright enough for most of the uses we could think of. However, for users who need even more brightness, the Blade also features a boost mode that doubles the output to 130 lumens for a moment or for up to a three-minute burst. By twisting the head of the flashlight, users are also able to adjust the cone of light emitted by the Blade, widening it to a 160-degree flood or narrowing it to a 30-degree spotlight.… Read more

When I was a kid, holding the light while my father turned wrenches in some dark corner of the family car's engine bay was a sacred duty to be performed seriously and to the best of my ability. I don't have kids of my own, so when I find myself in need of illumination, I often find myself precariously balancing a hot work light into some odd angle or awkwardly holding a pen light between my teeth. For those who have found themselves in similar situations, Joby, creator of the Gorillapod camera mounting system, has just announced the … Read more