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This auto-tracking iPhone stand is about to make tripods obsolete
Whether you're a budding TikToker, an established YouTuber, a teacher recording lessons for class, or a fitness instructor recording virtual workout sessions, you know that it can be hard to make high-quality videos when you don't have a camera crew at the ready to capture your every move.
Also: CES 2024: What's Next in Tech
Thankfully, tech accessories company Belkin just debuted an auto-tracking iPhone stand that is about to make that manual tripod of yours obsolete. The Auto-Tracking Stand Pro pairs with your iPhone through MagSafe to capture you as you move -- no camera person or third-party app required. According to Belkin's press release, this stand is the first-ever accessory to work with Apple's DockKit, its proprietary object location-tracking technology.
Belkin announced the Auto-Tracking Stand Pro at CES, the annual consumer tech trade show that debuts the year's most groundbreaking and change-making tech.
CES 2024
"Combining premium Belkin quality, impressively responsive robotics, and advanced subject tracking technology with DockKit, we're excited to provide content creators with a thoughtfully designed product that will effortlessly enhance the creation process," said Melody Tecson, Belkin's vice president of product management.
Using the MagSafe attachment and near-field communication (NFC) pairing, the Stand Pro offers 360-degree movement-tracking and a 90-degree motorized tilt to perpetually keep you in frame. Plus, with 15W of power, it also charges your phone while it tracks you if the Stand Pro is plugged into an outlet. Not plugged in, the dock boasts five hours of battery life.
Auto-tracking tech for cameras and stands is seemingly on the rise. ZDNET reviews editor, June Wan, recently tried out another subject-tracking device, Insta360's Insta360 Link, to find it had "no business being this good for a first-generation product." The webcam is powered by AI. DockKit uses "system-tracking," to detect a person in the camera's frame and follow them.
These auto-tracking cameras and stands could revolutionize the content creation landscape and lower the barrier of entry to budding video creators.
Belkin's Auto-Tracking Stand Pro retails for $180 and is coming soon to its website and select retailers. To be one of the first to try Stand Pro, visit Belkin's website and click "Notify Me" for up-to-date news on product shipments.