We came across this at CES this year and felt it was worth writing about, because having a remote for your cellphone’s camera…is a great idea. Some of us use Windows Phones here in the office and get a kick out of the “Ready Click!” app/lens which allows you to do such using your voice, but what about everyone else?
Both these two companies aim to make it easier for you to take your favorite “selfies” or group photos using your smartphone. Both devices allow you to remotely control the cameras in such phones so that you don’t have to be holding the phone to take the shot.
Let’s take a quick peek at which one offers the biggest benefits.
The AudioVox SHB301 Shutterball remote offers a fun/simple design that comes in 4 different colors and allows you to take a picture by pinching a ball. It offers a built in strap so that you can easy wrap it around your wrist. Due to it’s design, it can probably take a lot of wear and resist a lot of water splashing on it (for whatever reason you would want to test that theory out). Simple right? Not so much sadly. Although the design looks neat and the idea sounds great, it will not control your phone’s default camera app. The Shutterball requires a proprietary AudioVox camera app in order to function. The app is free and works with just about every recent iOS device as well as some of the latest Android 4.2.2+ devices. The downfall is that the app is buggy, slow and you will be taking multiple images to make sure you get the shot you are looking for. The Shutterball retails for about $20.
Why they couldn’t support the phone’s default camera app is beyond us, but let’s look at our other choice.
The Muku Shuttr remote offers a typical remote-style design, is quite small in size and can be attached to your key ring. It supports most iOS and Android devices that launched within the last 2-3 years and does not require any additional apps. It functions by controlling your phone’s default camera app. There is no lag as it operates just like hitting your phone’s dedicated camera button and functions from up to 30 feet away. The drawback, it runs about 2x the cost at $39.
Our Conclusion
The Shutterball is a neat looking device that we think a lot of trend-following users would love to hold in their hand. It also offers the better price. However, the lag and proprietary app is a big drawback. The Muku Shuttr delivers exactly what just about every user would be looking for in such a device. The price needs to come down though.
The winner? The Muku Shuttr! We felt the Shutterball was worth a score of 2/10. The 2 just goes to the fun design. The Muku Shuttr gets a 6/10 as it functions perfectly and still looks great. Once again though, the price weighs it down. You may however, be someone more than willing to spend $39 on such a device, and if so, the Shuttr would be the best fit then. For the rest of us, we can wait for an app like “Ready Click!” on Windows Phone or the price to come down for Shuttr.
