JOBY MPod Mini – A Mini Universal Smartphone Tripod for the Smartphone Photographer

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MPod Mini Stand for iPhone and Android phones

We just looked at JOBY’s GPod Mini Magnet tripod. It is designed for use with cameras and accessories that have a standard tripod screw mount. If, however, you are shooting with a smartphone that doesn’t have a screw mount the $14.95 JOBY MPod Mini may be just the thing. It works with most smartphones. It is inexpensive and it works!

We are adding it to our Gifts Under $40 Giveaway. (Contest Ends Wednesday November 27th, 2013)

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A simple design, the MPod mini has a special clamp sitting atop JOBY’s familiar tripod design.

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To use the MPod mini you simply pull up on the top jaw of the MPod, put your phone into the bottom of the two rubberized parts of the cradle and pull the top jaw up and over your phone.

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The groove in the top jaw will make sure your phone stays in place.

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And the elastic between the two parts of the clamp makes sure enough pressure is applied to keep the phone in place without placing too much pressure on it.

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Unlike the GPod mini, the MPod mini doesn’t have magnets on its legs. That’s probably a good call since the cradle holds a phone in place quite well but I wouldn’t trust it to hold the phone THAT well!

Because of its flexible leg joints, MPod is great on just about any surface. Make sure to have one leg positioned to the left of your phone, one leg to the right, and the last leg behind your phone if you’re tilting it up, or the last leg in front of your phone if you’re tilting it downwards. You don’t want your MPod toppling over right in the middle of your favorite playlist or that hilarious YouTube video!

JOBY’s segmented leg design is something I have come to truly appreciate. The legs are flexible enough to move into pretty much any position but are tight enough to stay in place once you get things just right.

MPod Mini Stand for iPhone and Android phones

Where the MPod mini stands out is in its ability to work with a variety of smartphones. So while it works fine with an iPhone…

MPod Mini Stand for iPhone and Android phones

…it works just as well with one of Samsung’s (MANY) smartphones.

The JOBY MPod is an impressive little tripod for smartphone photographers. It works as promised. Still, I’m not personally sold on its smartphone gripping design. I think I prefer JOBY’s own GripTight Micro Stand or the $19.95 iStabilizer Mount. They too grab the smartphone from both sides and do so in a manner that is quicker to set up and feels a bit more secure to me. That’s not to say the MPod isn’t a good product. Considering its price of just $14.95 it is actually a great, inexpensive way to make sure you have a smartphone tripod with you all the time.

Better still… We are adding it to our Gifts Under $40 Giveaway. (Contest ends Wednesday November 27th, 2013)

MSRP: $14.95

What I Like: Low price; Works with a variety of smartphones; JOBY tripod leg designs.

What Needs Improvement: No magnets on legs; Not my favorite smartphone clamp design

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

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About the Author

Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. Dan is married to Raina Goldberg who is also an avid user of Apple products. They live in New Jersey with their golden doodle Nava.