Tripod & Kickstand in One: The Glif

As I’ve said before, sometimes the best ideas are the most simple ones. Take this one, for example. It’s called the Glif, and it’s one of the coolest things I’ve seen for the iPhone yet. But let’s have the PR talk for us.

The idea for the Glif was first formed when we realized the iPhone 4 is literally the best camera we’ve ever owned. With the addition of HD video recording and High Dynamic Range photography, it’s clear Apple is positioning the iPhone as a very high quality portable camera. But because of its small form factor (and Apple’s minimalist design approach) it will never contain a threaded nut for attaching a tripod – standard on almost all photo and video cameras. Solutions for mounting an iPhone to a tripod exist (DIY or otherwise) but they are typically bulky and cumbersome. Our goal was to create something small, simple, and elegant.

It was always our intention for the Glif to serve as a kickstand for the iPhone as well, but it took several design iterations before we got it just right. The beauty of the design we finally arrived at is that it allows the iPhone to be positioned at a variety of different angles and orientations.

They’re trying to fund the thing through Kickstarter, and so far that’s worked out very well. Out of the $10k they’re trying to raise for building the product, they’ve got over $50k pledged. Hopefully the time between development and retail product doesn’t take forever, because it’s fairly obvious that Apple will change their iPhone design for next year’s iPhone 5. Regardless, this is pretty cool stuff and I hope it happens. I know I’d buy one tomorrow, that’s for sure.