stand
Spoot: Spotted Early keeps stand in one place: 2 stories so far. The section currently leads with “Shelly's new radar tracks ten bodies without ever turning on a lens” and “Three phone props in one, and it folds flat enough to forget”. Ten bodies. There's a particular kind of magic in an accessory that folds flat enough to forget, and then remembers it's a tripod, a stand, and a grip the moment your arm gets tired. Spoot: Spotted Early New things, caught while they're still new and a little weird. Spoot finds fresh gadgets, clever inventions, crowdfunding campaigns,… The list below is every stand story on Spoot: Spotted Early, newest first.
Shelly's new radar tracks ten bodies without ever turning on a lens
Ten bodies. No lens. No recording. That's the quiet magic of the Shelly Presence Gen4, a mmWave radar sensor that tracks people and pets through rooms and large spaces without ever turning on a camera. It's the kind of privacy-forward smart home gadget that makes you wonder why more companies aren't doing this. The $84.99 price is reasonable, especially since there's no subscription attached, which feels increasingly rare these days. It can sit on a shelf with its built-in stand or mount permanently, and it's available now through Shelly's store, with Amazon and Best Buy presumably following soon. The radar approach is clever: presence detection without the surveillance creep. If you're building out a privacy-conscious smart home, this one deserves a tab left open.
Three phone props in one, and it folds flat enough to forget
There's a particular kind of magic in an accessory that folds flat enough to forget, and then remembers it's a tripod, a stand, and a grip the moment your arm gets tired. This one does that trick. It burrows into your pocket like a slim nothing, then unfolds into three distinctly useful personalities. The grip is for the selfie you'll deny taking. The tripod is for the shot that needs a steady hand you don't have. The stand is for the video call you're already late to. It won't replace a proper rig, but it doesn't want to. It just wants to be the thing you actually carry.