Manufacturer: Joby

Joby entered the camera accessory market in 2006 and has really taken off. With their headquarters in San Francisco, they now have offices in Santa Cruz, Geneva, Singapore and Shenzhen. Joby is most known for the Gorillapod, the flexible tripod you can wrap to just about anything to capture that perfect moment.

While the Gorillapod comes in a variety of sizes and can carry loads between 325g to 5Kg, the innovators at Joby saw a market for a slimmer and smaller Gorillapod for our ever compacting digital cameras and mobile phones. Today, I present to you the Gorillamobile.

Package and Contents

Much like the original Gorillapod, the Gorillamobile comes in three different flavours. I have the Gorillamobile for iPod touch but there is also the Gorillamobile for 3G/3GS and the original Gorillamobiile. All three models come with their own set of accessories but Joby has an online store where you can purchase additional mounting accessories.

The front of the package tells you what particular version you have and gives you a view of both the Gorillamobile and the featured accessory. The back of the package highlights what you can do with the Gorillamobile.

Pulling the package out we can see that each component is segregated from the rest. We have the flexible tripod, the iTouch case and two additional adhesive clips. Already attached to the Gorillamobile is the original clip with a 1/4″ tripod screw.

The Gorillamobile is made from the same ABS plastic with thermoplastic elastomer feet giving it that famous grip for stability on just about any terrain.

Features and Specifications

I’ll admit, the Joby website is friendly looking but not the easiest to navigate and collect information. As I mentioned above, I have the Gorillamobile for iPod Touch but there are several version of the Gorillamobile. I’ll share the features for all of them below.

Gorillamobile: Original

Designed for:
• Mobile phones
• PDAs
• MP3/video players
• Gaming devices
• GPS units
• Compact digital and mini video cameras

Size: 15 × 3 × 3cm (5.9 × 1.2 × 1.2″)
Weight: 45.3g (1.6oz)
Connections: Camera clip with universal 1/4″ tripod screw, custom engineered suction cup clip, removable high-bond adhesive clip

IPod Touch Version

Designed for:
• Apple iPod touch 2nd Generation (and 3rd Generation)
• Other mobile phones and PDAs
• MP3/video players
• Gaming devices
• GPS units
• Compact digital and mini video cameras

Size: 15 × 3 × 3cm (5.9 × 1.2 × 1.2″)
Weight: 63g (2.2oz)
Connections: Soft-touch case for iPod touch, camera clip with universal 1/4″ tripod screw, removable high-bond adhesive clip

iPhone 3G/3Gs Version

Designed for:
• Apple iPhone 3G and 3GS
• Other mobile phones and PDAs
• MP3/video players
• Gaming devices
• GPS units
• Compact digital and mini video cameras
• Apple iPod touch 2nd Generation (and 3rd Generation)
• Other mobile phones and PDAs
• MP3/video players
• Gaming devices

Size: 15 × 3 × 3cm (5.9 × 1.2 × 1.2″)
Weight: 63g (2.2oz)
Connections: Soft-touch case for iPhone 3G/3Gs, camera clip with universal 1/4″ tripod screw, removable high-bond adhesive clip

Common Features:
• Holds up to: Camera clip: 325g (11.5oz), Adhesive clip: 300g (10.6oz), Suction cup: 200g (7.1oz)
• Extra features: Lockring

Accessories
• Extra clips
• Suction cup clip
• Adhesive clip
• iPhone 3G/3GS case
• iPod touch case

Materials Legs and clip:
• High quality Japanese ABS plastic
• Durable German TPE grip rings

Camera screw:
• Stainless steel

Using the Gorillamobile

Right out of the box the Gorillamobile can be attached to your digital camera using the camera clip. If you intend on using it with your iPod Touch you can slide the camera clip off and slide on the iPod Touch carry-case or the generic adhesive clip if you wanted to mount something else.

To slide the clip off you need to press down on the lever and push the clip out. To secure the clip in place, you’ll want to rotate the lockring from the unlock position to the lock position. The ringlock stops the lever from moving and being able to push the clip out.

Once you’ve secured your mobile device in place, you can manipulate the legs of the tripod to grip any surface to steady your camera, GPS device, iPod Touch or whatever you decide to mount on the Gorillamobile. My personal preference has always been to use the Joby Gorillamobile with my Canon SD880IS so it can be wrapped around a branch or a pole for a picture. It has also come in handy when leveling my camera on an uneven surface. I’ll admit that half the photos taken with my point and shoot camera were probably with a Gorillapod.

With the addition of adhesive clips to the package it makes it incredibly simple to mount any handheld device to the Gorillamobile. If you’re an avid cyclist and need directions for your travels, you can stick an adhesive pad to the back of a GPS device and wrap the Gorillamobile around the handlebars.

I’m not an avid iPod Touch user but similar advantages could be had. If you’re a tandem bicycle rider then take the backseat and what a quick short film while your partner does all the hard work.

The opportunities to use the Gorillamobile are endless. The rubberized feet leave no prints behind and with the compact and lightweight design there’s no reason why it can’t come with you on your travels. The days of having to ask a stranger to take a photo for you or carrying a large bulky tripod around are over.

Advantages
• Easy to use
• Multiple accessories available

Disadvantages
• So far only available in black

I’d like to thank Joby for making this review possible.