The best part of my iPhone is the amazing camera it contains. It is always with me and allows me to capture moments that would otherwise be lost forever. For these immediate situations, I grab my iPhone and quickly snap a picture. Then there are times when I want to use a tripod (group shots, self shots or nature photography) but what tripod mount is the best. My local electronics store has several dozen (all of which are terrible by the way).
In 2010, I backed a Kickstarter campaign for a creative tripod mount called the Glif for my iPhone 4s. A tripod mount meant I could take much cleaner pictures (no hand shake) and really improved my nature/street photography.
It immediately became my only tripod mount because it was light, sturdy and easy to use. It also doubled as a smartphone holder when watching movies.
Then one day I dropped my naked iPhone on the kitchen tile and watch the back glass crack completely. I decided I needed to use a protective case and realized I could no longer use my Glif. If I wanted to use my Glif, I had to take it out of the case (which seemed like a hassle).
I test different phones throughout the year and the Glif only worked on my iPhone 4s. What a bummer. I tried other tripods but none matched the features, simplicity, design and usefulness of my Glif.
The new Glif
Then Studio Near came out with a brand new universal smartphone tripod mount and holder. It kept everything I loved about the original Glif but made it more wonderful (by allowing me to use it with any smartphone even while inserted into a case).
The new Glif fits any device that falls within these size parameters: 58.4-86.4mm wide by 3.1-12.7mm thick.
The new design is adjustable using a special wrench which means you can hold any smartphone (Samsung Galaxy S4, Nexus 4/5, HTC One, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5/5s, Motorola Moto G, Motorola Moto X, etc). It can be used as a tripod mount or a prop for watching movies.
Above you can see an iPhone 5s with a LifeProof case and a naked Blackberry bold. For the business traveller, the prop-up feature for watching movies works great on a plane food tray.
Build Quality
The Glif is designed and built in the USA from a high quality rubberized plastic. It provides a nice non scratching surface for your device. It ensures you have a solid non-slip grip when holding in your hand and makes it more scratch resistant.
When you adjust the Glif, you can feel a well design screw mount system that is solid and will last many many years. during my testing phase, I screwed and unscrewed the Glif mounts at least 50 times (on each side) and they felt as good on the 51st time as they did on the first.
The tripod mount is metal with overloaded plastic holding it in place. The mount is a standard 1/4"-20 thread and there is no wiggle. Everything is tight and solidly built.
The kit
Here you see the Glif, the hex key and the keychain attachment. In honesty, the older glib was smaller and you could carry it on your keychain but I wouldn't carry this on my keychain everyday.
Verdict
This is one of those products that I knew I would love and my tests just confirmed that.
When you acquire a new smartphone, the first accessory you should buy is a case, the very next accessory is the Glif.
Since first using a Glif for the first time almost 4 years ago, I have had one with me all the time since. It goes to work with me and on my many travels across the world. And the biggest advantage of the new version is that it is future proof. You know that it will work with whatever you buy next. Great investment protection.
You can get a Glif directly from Studio Neat here.
