This is a review of JOBY MPod Mini Stand. MPod Mini Stand for iPhone and Android phones
I'm sure most of you are familiar with Joby GorillaPod tripods, made out of daisy chained joints that bend and rotate 360 degrees giving it an amazing flexibility. Based on that gorillapod base, Joby expanded their product line with a lot of other cool grips and gadgets including the one for smartphones. It's a logical step since our smartphones became replacements of our point'n'shoot cameras and camcorders. Although I was excited to learn they had various smartphone grips, none of them used to be wide enough to fit our Note 2, even without a case. Fortunately, Joby just came out with a new grip called MPod Mini which can actually accommodate our Note 2. Let's take a look at it.
The stand itself is very lightweight, only 30g, and portable enough to keep it in your pocket when tripod legs straighten and aligned together. With a total height of about 4.5", the actual gorillapod tripod portion of it is about 3.5" meaning after the setup your Note 2 will be lifted of the surface about 3" which is perfect as a stand to watch movies, or to read/browse, or to set it up as camera to capture pictures and videos. The joint adjustment doesn't get loose, while still has enough flexibility to rotate with a precise control. But the highlight of this stand is it's unique grip. Unlike anything I have seen before it consists of jaws that extend thanks to a durable elastic band keeping two half together. Based on my use of Note 2 with Case-Mate Tough case, these jaws were able to accommodate a max phone width of 86mm and a thickness of 12mm. What does this mean? Without a doubt you can use it with naked Note 2, and also with a thinner type of cases like TPU or Case-Mate used in my example. It will not work with UAG case, or any other case outside of 86mm x 12mm dimensions.
Inside of the mounting jaws is a quality rubber lining that will not scratch or damage your phone or screen protector. It worked perfectly even with my tempered glass screen protector. Also, grip is very secure and tight. You can pick it up by tripod legs and shake it around - it will not even move. I also would like to note that unlike other Joby mounts, these jaw clamps are not removable from the tripod mount. They are permanently attached to a mounting joint which has a lot of rotation flexibility.
Overall, I absolutely love this little mini stand!!! For the price of $14.95 and a very high quality of used materials, I would consider MPod Mini as one of the must have gadgets for your Note 2. Keep in mind, it will work with ANY smart phone with a width and depth of up to 86mm x12mm so it's not just specific to one phone type. The only negative is limitation of the maximum size where a Note 2 with extended battery or a more rugged case will not fit. But other then that, its a fantastic value and a very original design. Plus I can guarantee while you're out in public with MPod Mini, it will get a ton of attention because of its unique look.
Here are the pictures.
I'm sure most of you are familiar with Joby GorillaPod tripods, made out of daisy chained joints that bend and rotate 360 degrees giving it an amazing flexibility. Based on that gorillapod base, Joby expanded their product line with a lot of other cool grips and gadgets including the one for smartphones. It's a logical step since our smartphones became replacements of our point'n'shoot cameras and camcorders. Although I was excited to learn they had various smartphone grips, none of them used to be wide enough to fit our Note 2, even without a case. Fortunately, Joby just came out with a new grip called MPod Mini which can actually accommodate our Note 2. Let's take a look at it.
The stand itself is very lightweight, only 30g, and portable enough to keep it in your pocket when tripod legs straighten and aligned together. With a total height of about 4.5", the actual gorillapod tripod portion of it is about 3.5" meaning after the setup your Note 2 will be lifted of the surface about 3" which is perfect as a stand to watch movies, or to read/browse, or to set it up as camera to capture pictures and videos. The joint adjustment doesn't get loose, while still has enough flexibility to rotate with a precise control. But the highlight of this stand is it's unique grip. Unlike anything I have seen before it consists of jaws that extend thanks to a durable elastic band keeping two half together. Based on my use of Note 2 with Case-Mate Tough case, these jaws were able to accommodate a max phone width of 86mm and a thickness of 12mm. What does this mean? Without a doubt you can use it with naked Note 2, and also with a thinner type of cases like TPU or Case-Mate used in my example. It will not work with UAG case, or any other case outside of 86mm x 12mm dimensions.
Inside of the mounting jaws is a quality rubber lining that will not scratch or damage your phone or screen protector. It worked perfectly even with my tempered glass screen protector. Also, grip is very secure and tight. You can pick it up by tripod legs and shake it around - it will not even move. I also would like to note that unlike other Joby mounts, these jaw clamps are not removable from the tripod mount. They are permanently attached to a mounting joint which has a lot of rotation flexibility.
Overall, I absolutely love this little mini stand!!! For the price of $14.95 and a very high quality of used materials, I would consider MPod Mini as one of the must have gadgets for your Note 2. Keep in mind, it will work with ANY smart phone with a width and depth of up to 86mm x12mm so it's not just specific to one phone type. The only negative is limitation of the maximum size where a Note 2 with extended battery or a more rugged case will not fit. But other then that, its a fantastic value and a very original design. Plus I can guarantee while you're out in public with MPod Mini, it will get a ton of attention because of its unique look.
Here are the pictures.
