Joby has an affliction for legs and we wonder if it’s become a fetish. Their trademark product styling involves those signature curvy, twisting joints that allow cameras of all kinds to stabilize on a variety of uneven surfaces, including from the back of car seats, refrigerators, poles, or a rocky mountain landscape. All of their tripods are incredibly versatile, but I got to go hands on with one specifically made for the iPod touch, a variant of the GorillaMobile series. Check past the break for this clingy review!
I was surprised by both the mechanisms involved and the interesting “grip” of those ball-joint legs. It’s a plastic, rugged feel that has an almost “rubber” texture to it that’s slightly rough across the fingers. You’ll hear a plastic creak occasionally as you would on an old Transformer while you position the legs – the legs are stiff, but not unwieldy and certainly not immobile. They’re designed not to collapse under the weight of your favorite tune blaster, and can resolve awkward viewing angles or arm fatigue if you’re matching a movie on an airplane or in the car. I can’t say the GorillaMobile is small enough to be portable, but it’s messenger bag friendly once the iPod holster is removed from the legs.
The holster is a plastic shell with a latch that hooks onto the legs. It could double as protective case when not in use on the tripod, protecting the iPod’s always scratch-able backing from coins or table wear. Clicking the iPod’s holster into the stand, a lock mechanism engages that holds your iPod in place. Even if your iPod touch is hanging upside down, there’s no risk of it falling out of the stand without pressure being applied to a release-lever. A small ring that can be rotated into lock & unlock positions prevents any accidents from damaging the expensive products topping the stand, and even if left accidentally in the unlock position, the fit is tight enough to ensure gravity won’t take matters into its own hands. I’m pleasantly pleased with how the legs and this capsule work in conjunction, but it did take some initial fumbling to figure how to detach the pieces for portability (you can’t just yank the case out).
Joby’s GorillaMobile was certainly designed for any terrain, and as you can see from the product photos, it has no trouble parking itself on the top of my kitchen chair. Even in the elements, the noticeable lack of metal on the surface decidedly got me thinking that this thing wouldn’t “wear or rust” as a traditional tripod might. The stand is built tough: feel free to stand it in gravel, on dirt, in between rocks, or wherever you need it. While it’s still up to you to decide whether the GorillaMobile is stable, the short stand should accommodate many needs.
Coming in two pieces, the GorillaMobile offers a tripod that’s adaptable to your lifestyle. Hang it from a cupboard to browse recipes on your iPod, from your headrest so the kids can watch a movie, or fold the legs and make a lap stand. If you want your own pair of crazy legs, Joby’s GorillaMobile could be just what you need to shoot MacStories product reviews from your iPhone 4, or to capture the latest skateboard trick from a park bench. The GorillaMobile for iPod touch I reviewed is available for the 2nd generation iPod touch at $29.95, but you can find a variety of products to fit your particular device (DSLRs or iPhone) at Joby.com.
