Pivo Pod – Review – The Clever Smartphone Mount.

Have you ever wished for a personal photographer capable of capturing breathtaking photographs and videos? Have you ever wished to capture the incredible time-lapse films you see on Instagram? Consider hiring a completely automated filmmaker for your vlog or fitness video. We have a new device that can accomplish far more than these. Meet Pivo Pod, a smartphone mount with a motor, thats capable of tracking you and doing so much more.

 

What exactly is Pivo Pod?
The Pivo pod is a smartphone device that transforms your phone into a cameraman, by employing a motorised head that may be controlled via a remote or a phone app via Bluetooth. Pivo pod can do a variety of tasks like as automatic timelapse, panoramic, object tracking, and so on.

What’s in the Box?
You will find a user manual, charging cable, remoter controller and the Pivo Pod itself inside the box, I would have liked to o have seen a protective case for the mount itself, just to prevent any accidental knocks and bangs. I was also sent through the Pivo Tripod, to complete the system.

 

Pivo Pod Features.

Smooth Motion.

When I initially saw the Pod, I wasn’t convinced of its smoothness, I’ve seen a lot of motorised mounts that stutter when you turn them. This is not the case with the Pivo Pod, the motorised motion is so fluid that there is no stuttering visible in the video. However, if you use it for face or object tracking, you may notice some fast movement. This makes sense because the camera must remain fixed on the object at all times. As a result, if you make a sudden movement, the camera must adapt the frame and, as a result, creates a sudden movement as well.

Full 360° Rotation.

This is another another beneficial feature of Pivo Pod. It provides a complete 360-degree horizontal rotation. This means you can rotate your smartphone clockwise or anti-clockwise to complete a completed rotation. In fact, you can programme it to rotate continuously multiple times. This tool allows you to take 360-degree photos (the globe kind), longer timelapses, and more.

Here’s an example:

Assume you’re in your kitchen, on a Pivo video call with a pal. When you walk into your hall, which is directly across from your kitchen, Pivo pod automatically tracks you and rotates around without your intervention. Pivo will still monitor you if you return to your kitchen from a different side because it has 360-degree turn capability.

Completely automated.

You can adjust the motor and duration settings with their app, and the pod will do the rest. Once everything is in place, you can leave the pod with your phone until the video/photo capture is complete. Manual button pressing or position changes are not required. This is quite useful when shooting a long timelapse video. In that case, you can set it to a timer and go to sleep! You may even use your phone to control the pod and a different phone to take movies (but some app capabilities, such as object tracking, will not work).

 

Bluetooth Connection.

Bluetooth allows you to link your smartphone and Pivo. The setup is straightforward. Pivo pod is turned on by pressing the power button for 3-5 seconds. Open the Pivo app; you will see a connect icon; click it and you are done. After connecting, you will be directed directly to the camera, where you may select different operating modes, motor speed, object detection, and so on.

App for Smartphone.

The Pivo pod app is the gadget’s secret sauce. Pivo pod is no better than a remote-controlled turntable without this software. Let’s take a look at some of the app’s settings and choices.
Swiping right from the left end of the screen while in the app will bring up the mode menu. You can select from a variety of modes, including panoramic, multi-stream, time-lapse, studio 360, time planet, and a few others. By selecting an option, you will be sent to a page with additional settings for that mode. You can then specify characteristics such as rotation speed, angle, and direction.

Auto-Tracking.

You can highlight an object by pressing anywhere on the camera screen. Pivo will then adhere to and track that object. Even if you relocate the object, Pivo pod will continue to follow it. I’ve experienced no problems with auto-tracking in my experience. You can even follow people’s faces or bodies. This feature is especially beneficial while you are away from your phone, doing anything else. For example, when you are filming your training session, you are continually moving from one location to another. You don’t have to worry about missing frames with Pivo because the camera follows you around and collects footage as you move.

Live Stream/Video Call.

Another important app feature is live streaming or live video calls. When you walk around during a video conference, Pivo automatically tracks you and maintains you within the picture. However, there is a catch. This does not apply to Whatsapp or Skype calls. You must use their own video call programme, Pivo Meet. For many folks, this is a deal breaker.
In order to use their multi-stream functionality, you must first create an account on restream.io.

Intelligent Capture.

The smart capture mode is another nice function I discovered. You have three options in this mode for capturing images or videos without even touching the phone. You can capture by clapping, capture using your voice (saying words like cheese, take, snap, or shot to activate it). You can also capture by spreading your arms horizontally. All of these modes are quite useful for taking group shots or films. Set Pivo at a distance and use one of the methods described above to capture photographs.

There are also numerous more handy functions such as predictive follow, auto-zoom, burst mode, and so on. As I learn more, I will continue to update this article.

Tripod Mount

The bottom side of the Pivo pod has a 1/4 inch thread. As a result, you can attach it to a tripod or a smartphone gimbal. When you don’t have a taller surface, like a wall, having it on a tripod comes in handy. Please keep in mind that tripod compatibility does not imply camera compatibility. Pivo pod does not support digital or DSLR cameras. The Pivo tripod is one of the most compact versions I’ve come across, that said its still able to mount your device at 6 feet tall.

 

Bubble Level.

The bubble level on the top surface helps you get perfectly aligned shots with the pod. It detects imbalance in all directions and comes in handy when you are shooting outdoors, like on a rock or something.

Remote Control.

Pivo pod comes with a remote controller with which you can control the motor. It has got several buttons including motor direction & speed control, image capture, pause motor etc but there is no power button which is an irony. I hope the batteries don’t drain quickly. Talking about the battery, there are two CR32 batteries that are removable but not rechargeable.

Charging and Battery Life.

To be honest, I have no idea about the battery life because I haven’t charged it once since receiving it. I think I used it for hours and it still has approximately 20% of its battery life left. The battery status can be checked using their smartphone app. Even if there is no means to obtain the battery percentage, you can check the battery level.

Conclusion:-

The Pivo Pod is a very easy to use and portable smartphone accessory that can help take better and hands-free photos and videos, its well built with a super smooth and quiet motor. Pivo works with any smartphone, be it an iPhone, Samsung, Oneplus, It also works with small tablets. The bubble level is very handy when you are on uneven surfaces, both the smartphone app and the remote controller use Bluetooth and are easy to setup .There are a lot of smart functionalities including auto-tracking, smart capture, etc. If your a vloger or just into your smart photography the Pivo Pod is well worth a look.