Let there be light, with a quirky beamer
Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 11:00AM | Glyn Evans 
The Beamer priced at $38.00 from Quirky.com is an iPhone case designed for the iPhone 3G/3GS and has a built-in LED light, which acts as a flash just like that found on the new iPhone 4.
The case itself is an OK case with a reasonable fit that, that comes in 2 colours, black and purple, with a non slip coating.
Features:
- Compatible with the iPhone 3G and 3GS.
- Durable plastic case with a friction-fit, two-piece design.
- Base slides out for quick insertion of your iPhone.
- Super-bright LED, which uses replaceable Lithium coin cell batteries for hours of illumination.
- Easy on-off button. When pressed, the light stays on for 4 seconds.
To fit your iPhone in this case, simply separate the case in two and slide your iPhone in, then slide the case back together and it's ready to use.
To use the Beamer simply prepare to take your photo as normal, but before you take the shot, press the Beamer's on/off button for a 4 second splash of light from the bright LED, which should illuminate most things with in a meter or two.
The ergonomics
This is where the Beamer falls down, whilst used in portrait mode there are no problems, because no matter how you hold your iPhone your hands/fingers will never obscure the LED, however held in landscape mode most people will find it awkward to hold, regularly placing their fingers over the LED. Whilst it is possible to hold the iPhone and not obscure the LED, it does not feel secure, and if you have had one drink too many on a night out, then you may well get to test out this cases protection qualities.
The flash results
Overall I was quite impressed with the light from the Beamer, comfortably illuminating everything within close proximity, with no visible hot spots, and even producing passable results for those outside its range.
Above: The photo on the left was taken in very low light, whilst the same shot on the right was taken with the Quirky Beamer
The verdict
The Beamer is let down by its ergonomics and poor colour choices, but does do as advertised, and so if you have an iPhone 3G or 3GS with no plans to upgrade to the iPhone 4 and want just a case with a flash, then the Beamer may be for you.
Reader Comments (1)
Has anyone gotten their hands on one of these yet? I'm considering it, but I'm on the fence about getting one right now. I'm not sure I want the extra aggravation of changing out my Monster case for another case just because it has a built in LED. Any thoughts?