FRIEZE NEW YORK 2013
INTERNATIONAL HOME + HOUSEWARES SHOW 2013
TOKYO DESIGN WEEK 2012
BEIJING DESIGN WEEK 2012Loyal Core readers know we've given Dan and Tom of Studio Neat quite a bit of exposure, ever since they surpassed their funding goal for the Glif - iPhone 4 Tripod & Stand over ten times over.
San Francisco designers Jon Norton and Joe Molinari hope to challenge the Glif's wildly-successful-Kickstarted-multipurpose-phone-accessory supremacy with Orbit, which they're billing as "truly the simplest device allowing you to make the most of your cell phone, iPod (and soon the iPad as well!) by giving you the ability to stick your device practically anywhere, and leaving your hands free to be more productive."
The design is quite brilliant: a pair of suction cups—one for "anything that's iPhone-ish in size and weight," the other for "practically any surface"—that swivel around a simple ball-and-socket joint. For those pesky porous surfaces, the Orbit includes " clear repositionable polycarbonate discs that can be stuck on to most non glass-like surfaces giving you the capability to mount your device to a painted wall, wood surface, your dashboard or practically anywhere you can think of."
The ball-and-socket joint is, of course, a prime example of biomimicry—think hips—which enables rotation across multiple axes.
The minimal design also includes a standard 1/4-20 threaded insert for tripod compatibility, and (like the Glif), "You can even remove the remaining socket portion of the Orbit and you have a convenient little suction kickstand that positions your device in either portrait or landscape.
The designers still have over a month to raise the last ~$4,000 they need to complete reach their goal of $25,000:
We have tested a lot of phone mounts on the market and, to be honest, a lot of them work pretty well, but if you want to take them out of your car to throw them in your purse or pocket, good luck. If you want them to hold another device your chances are dicey. We found most of them to be big, bulky and clumsy, and in our opinion you shouldn't have to adapt to the limitations of a device. The genius of the Orbit is it's so simple it adapts to you.
While it hasn't been the runaway success as the Glif was, we echo Norton and Molinari's confidence that Orbit will get a green light. Still, I can't help but spin this story as an East Coast (Studio Neat) vs. West Coast indie product design battle. Show your colors and check out Orbit on Kickstarter.
Comments
I Definitely don't trust suction cups enough to use that.
every other mount out there for phones/gps systems use suction cups. why wouldn't these work? even my cheap ones in the shower work pretty well.
The plastic may wear in the ball in socket connection and eventually the item will not be able to support the iphone off of a surface. Maybe, it is just a matter of finding the right materials and dialing in the fit.
Can this also do for the iPad ?
Hmmm. Every screen mount I have ever used uses a clamp to ensure enough pressure is applied to the suction cup, and the suction cup is usually at least twice the size of this. Form over function does work in an application such as this. Poorly thought through product. No way I am trusting my iphone to this. Simply will not work
I'm also on the negativity train - this will work for a day or two and then the ball joint will get too loose and the cups will really start sucking
@ kelly:
Every other other mount holds the actual iPhone with a suction cup? In a car might be one thing, with all soft surfaces. Look at the first pic tho. Never going to happen with my phone! It's freaking made of glass!
And no, shower suction cups do not work pretty good. not even "Really Nice" ones. My wife just bought a suction-cup shower thingy that supposedly won all kinds of awards... doesn't work.
I have had my GPS for 3 years now on the same ball socket and its still works as if new. I dont take the suction cup off but do take the GPS system off the socket all the time to hide it. Its all about the materials and how its designed. As far as the suction cups go...the orbit is a mobile product that gets popped on and off frequently. I dont think its intended to be a permanent mount but given the right circumstances, there is no reason that it couldn't be. Common sense has a lot to do with it too.
I know Jon personally and have seen his work (http://www.coroflot.com/jknorton) and know that he would never put out a product that was poorly designed. Thats just not what he does.
Nice idea. More flexible universal solution. Execution will be key however. Don't underestimate the material and fine tuning.
For those of you saying this will unquestionably fail you have to be kidding me. This isn't rocket science. Look at the Joby Gorillapod. Same mechanical principal on the joints. Very robust over time. And there definitely are suction cup materials out there now that even adapt to porous surfaces.
For those that say you absolutely CAN'T do something I have only one thing to say. I agree, YOU probably can't.
Old favorite saying of mine. The person that says it can't be done should not interrupt the person doing it.
Best of luck Jon and Joe. Nice job.
Have you guys seen the oona? Another project that was on KS. It also uses suction cups and they raised over 100k. Only difference is that you cant set your phone at an angle with the oona. This is supposed to be a "mobile" product. Use it when you need it.