TECH SPOTLIGHT

Galileo gives photo lovers new perspective on cellphone

Special to the Democrat-Gazette/DAVID HOGE - 02/28/2014 -  The Galileo by Motrr robotically rotates and positions the iPhone to take panoramic shots and time-lapse photography, among other photo projects.
Special to the Democrat-Gazette/DAVID HOGE - 02/28/2014 - The Galileo by Motrr robotically rotates and positions the iPhone to take panoramic shots and time-lapse photography, among other photo projects.

Have I got a gizmo for you. Think robotic.

The robotic item in question is the Galileo from Motrr. This device is perfect for photo lovers who want to do more with their cellphone cameras.

The Galileo works via Bluetooth with the iPhone 4S and later, and the iPod 5. It’s a white cylinder with a halfmoon rubber piece on the top to hold the phone or iPod. The device actually comes with three rubber pieces so it can snugly fit a phone. This is important because a loose iPhone in the Galileo will end up being a flying iPhone, and that’s not good.

The Galileo uses an included mini-USB cord to charge, although the battery can hold a charge capable of several hours of use. This is a little surprising because it’s got a pretty stout motor in it.

The purpose of the Galileo is to move the iPhone in ways that enable it to capture photos from certain perspectives. For example, it will hold the phone steady and snap lots of pictures to create a timelapse image, or it will rotate, stop, snap a photo and repeat the process to create a panorama.

That’s where the robotic part comes in. Galileo uses instructions from apps on the phone it’s holding or from another phone to move in precise increments as it creates the photo or video. It’s not as easy as it seems - it takes practice to line things up just right for a panorama or 360-degree photo. It’s also easier with some apps than with others.

The real key to the Galileo is the apps.

The device needs the Motrr app, which can be downloaded for free from the App Store. The Motrr app will help set up the Galileo and show you the basics of using it. After that, the app mainly is good for keeping the device’s firmware updated. To use the Galileo properly, you’ll need other photo-related apps.

The Motrr app provides a list of such apps. The one promoted on the website is Sphere, which uses the Galileo to create 360-degree panoramic images with the iPhone. It’s a fairly simple process once you figure out the Sphere app.

The app itself is a bit more complicated than it needs to be, and it’s set up like Instagram. That means once you get the images created, they can go onto the Internet for all the world to see. I tried to find a way to limit the number of people who see it, but I couldn’t find it right away.

Because of this, users must have some kind of account on Sphere. Either you have to sign in using your social-media credentials such as Facebook (in which you give it permission to access all your Facebook information), or you have to create a Sphere account. Frankly, I wasn’t impressed with this app. The only good thing about it was that it was free, but you get what you pay for.

I much preferred Demander’s Panorama app. This one costs $1.99 at the App Store, but it’s very easy to use.

The first step is to go into “settings” and turn on the Galileo switch. Then you twist the bottom of the Galileo until its green battery light illuminates, and a box will pop up asking you to connect.

Once connected, users simply press the “start” button and let the Galileo do its work. When it’s gotten the panorama you want, hit “finish.” The app stitches everything together and shows the result. You then can share the photo, save it to your iPhone or save it online in your Demander gallery, once you create an account.

TimeLapse is another app that’s compatible with the Galileo.

The free version of the app limits the video’s time. The full version, which costs $4.99, has no limits. TimeLapse is incredibly easy to use and works great with the Galileo. It’s a lot of fun to play with, too. Just keep in mind, you’ll need some space on the phone to use it. The app takes hundreds of photos and stitches them together for a few seconds of video.

Several other apps are also compatible with the Galileo, but most cost money. It’s best to read the descriptions and decide which will suit your needs.

As for the Galileo itself, I love one feature found on the bottom - a little screwhole. It may seem like nothing, but it actually is very handy because the hole fits the standard mount for a tripod or monopod. That means you can mount the Galileo on something stable for those great panoramas or, even better, time-lapse videos.

The Galileo isn’t perfect. The connection times out rather quickly, so if you take a lot of time setting things up, you likely will have to reconnect to the Galileo. I had this problem frequently, and I had it with every app. Thankfully, it didn’t do this during actual photos, or I wouldn’t have been a happy camper.

As it is, I really enjoyed the Galileo. It may not be for everyone, but it would be great for those who want to dabble in something like time-lapse photography or 360-degree panoramas. If you want a better idea of what I mean, I put a couple of samples on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Tech-Spotlightcolumn/143770982301273.

Melissa L. Jones can be reached via email at [email protected].

Where it’s @

The Motrr Galileo requires an iPhone 4S, 5, 5S or 5C or an iPod 5. It also requires the Motrr app from the App Store, which is free. Other compatible apps vary in cost. The Galileo retails for $149. More information is available at motrr.com.

Business, Pages 25 on 03/03/2014

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