The Swivl, according to its manufacturer, is “a sensor enabled and motorized base for your mobile video device with a paired marker.” Doesn’t sound very exciting, does it? If you’ve ever given a talk that you wanted videoed and wished you didn’t have to rely on someone to work the camera then, trust me, it is!
The problem with videoing a presentation is that you need someone to work the camera or if you mount your camera on a tripod, you have to make sure you don’t wander too far from your mark or you risk going outside the lens’s view. Worse still, the audio is always less than optimal unless you have access to an expensive external microphone for the camera.
If you happen to own an Apple iPhone 4 or 4S, or an iPod Touch, this $179 personal cameraman may be what you didn’t know you were waiting for. The Satarii Swivl will follow you around the room and give you great audio as well.
The device has two main components, a rotating, motorized base and a wireless remote. The base will track the wireless remote as you move around a room. The base is 5.5 by 4.2 by 1.5 inches at its widest points and the remote is 2.5 by 2 by .75 inches. In addition to serving as a homing beacon, the remote also serves as the start/stop switch for the video camera and as a clip-on microphone which will work from 30 feet away, giving you clear wireless audio. But there a catch. Since it was designed specifically for the iPhone 4s, 4 iPod Touch (4th generation) it uses an app to allow the remote’s built-in microphone and start/stop feature to work with these Apple products. If you’re using a Flip or other non-iPhone video cam, you’ll need to manually start and stop recording and you’ll be relying on their built-in mics. That said, the Swivl will still track the wireless remote and follow you 360 degrees with a vertical range of +10-/20 degrees.
The base can be attached to any standard tripod mount and can accommodate any smartphone measuring less than 11mm thick, as well as a small digital camera weighing less than six ounces using the including tripod mount adapter.
| Satarii Swivl Cost: $179 Pros Cons |
No consideration of any kind has been accepted for this review. The opinions expressed herein are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of NYSALJA.