I’m Charles Waugh, a professional photographer and design engineer in Portland, Oregon.  When I became dissatisfied with the available smartphone stabilizers out there, I decided to design one, so now there’s the SlingShot! 

WIRED: GeekDad REVIEW: 

"Would I buy one? Yes! For $14 (shipping included), this accessory is definitely worth it."   

AppAdvice REVIEW: 

"The SlingShot’s cradle is genius. It’s so simple, yet incredibly versatile. I’ve gone though more than a handful of tripod mounts for my iPhone, and this blows everything else out of the water. 

It’ll accommodate your phone with or without a case, which ... puts it ahead of accessories like the Glif...

VERDICT: The SlingShot is a must-have accessory ...

Honestly, the cradle alone is worth the SlingShot’s $14 price tag. 

NATE "BLUNTY" BURR:

...the cheeky Australian reviewer, posted a raving review of the SlingShot on his YouTube channel and here it is, below, in its entirety.

This is a 'MUST SEE' review. (Spoiler: he absolutely brutalizes the cradle by twisting and wrenching it all over the place but it survives!)

Blunty also says elsewhere: "I have always been a fan of elegant simplicity in product design, and this is a superb example of it."

MASHABLE.com "...this little tool is packed with features!"

Cult of Mac.com  "I chuckled when I first saw it. And then I thought, 'that’s actually pretty damn clever.' "

AppAdvice.com "You can count me in on this one, especially since it will be compatible with the next generation iPhone ... Will you back this project? I know I will."  

CNET "But if you pledge right now, you can get a SlingShot for as little as $14 -- shipped! That strikes me as pretty solid deal for a gizmo that offers three functions in one -- especially considering that I've seen single-function, iPhone-only tripod mounts selling for a lot more."

AndroidPolice.com "Now, thanks to Kickstarter, we've also found the last camera mounting accessory we'll ever need: the Slingshot, which functions as handheld stabilizer, mini tripod, and professional tripod mount." 

The SlingShot(tm) allows you to shoot one-handed, turns into an instant table-top tripod, and allows you to mount your phone on any tripod.

The SlingShot's phone cradle fits ANY smartphone, with or without a case and allows charging cables to be plugged in during use.

It's the perfect Android AND iPhone accessory.

Here's Charles Waugh reporting from Oregon on what you all want to know:

PLEASE NOTE: The shot of the waterfall is completely unedited - it is straight out of the phone!

Technical details for inquiring minds:

The SlingShot is built to last and LAST... 

The SlingShot is injection molded from acetal resin, trade name: Delrin. It's the same stuff that industrial gears and other really tough items are made from. It twists and bends and bounces right back!

And that phone cradle is way cool! Check out this video:

HEY! This was shot on an iPhone using the SlingShot's cradle on a tripod!

The cradle holds ANY smartphone nice and tight, yet gently - even if it has a case on it. Why? Well, for two reasons:

• First, because it can bend and flex like an Olympic gymnast.  It can expand to grab hold of even the Samsung Galaxy Note - the biggest 'phone' out there!
• Second, because it has over-molded rubber pads on the tip of each 'wing'.  That's just like on your toothbrush handle where there's a rubber area molded over the plastic body.  You get the toughness of plastic plus the grippiness of rubber. 

BEWARE: Not all cases are created equal...

Some are thin as paper, some are THICK like my Cousin Bob. The SlingShot's cradle can accept cases up to .660 thick, like this:

And, YES! The cradle will accept all smartphones, even monsters:

Here is a shot (made at an AT&T store) showing a Samsung Galaxy Note in the cradle of a Slingshot. It definitely fits.  

We are METAL-HEADS: 

The 1/4-20 threaded BRASS insert is molded into the cradle (it is hand-inserted in the mold before the plastic is injected). Which means it's really strong and won't back out of the plastic.  

Same story on the 1/4-20 threaded STEEL stud in the ball-mount - it plunges right into the heart of the ball and is molded in place as well. 

Of course, all of this is part of our patent that we've filed.

BONUS: Here's a video to tell you about the handle in (mildly) excruciating detail:

YUP! This was shot on an iPhone using the SlingShot's cradle on a tripod! 

The SlingShot is the culmination of almost a year of thought, design, and patent filing. I’m thrilled with how it’s turned out and I hope you will be too.  

Please join with me in getting the SlingShot launched into the wide world - with your help I know it will be a success!

What people are saying:

Mike Sklens says:

"I was browsing Kickstarter just for fun and came across your product. 

After watching the video and reading through everything, it was just a no-brainer for me to back this project. 

The design is really clever in that it can be used with basically any smartphone with or without a case. 

Plus, your experience as a professional in the field of photography assured me that the case would be well designed for everyday use."

Lincoln says:

"Just when I thought there couldn't possibly be anything new in this product space that was interesting/cool enough for me to actually back...

Along comes SLINGSHOT! I'm in for 2. :-) "

(For cinematic über nerds only)
Here’s a video of me in my shop making a simple wooden ring-chuck to turn the prototype plastic rings that go on the handle. To ‘splain: The rings chuck gets tightened by sliding the ring on which collapses the jaws just a tiny bit, holding the ring all around the perimeter.
BTW: the shot is straight out of the iPhone 4S- NO EDITS.  Check it out:  

This shot was done with the SlingShot's cradle mounted on a rodless cylinder that I got at some garage sale years ago for a song. I put a toggle valve on it to run it back-n-forth, and by adjusting the needle valve on the outlet end, I can control the speed of travel. Too much fun!

Impress your friends, crush your competition, and we’re on Pinterest. :-) 

Your logo or phrase can be imprinted on the cradle right there for all the world to see! One color of ink and one side of the cradle.  Great for gifts to customers, friends, or friendly wookies.

That’s right!, we can imprint pretty much anything onto the SlingShot - that is, within the bounds of good taste, federal laws, and good speling. 

Available at the 50 or 100 units level. 

And: a few nice BIG PRODUCT SHOTS to round it all out:

psst!: We 'shopped in the iPhone screen, 'cause it don't photograph for beans!