3RDi is a KickStarter product design project that will improve your iPhone 4/4S camera beyond expectations, provided that you also have a capable app to match the hardware.
What most people miss the most when using a smartphone instead of a full fledged camera is a proper grip, filters and to some extent interchangeable lenses. The 3RDi kit, which I must admit that is very creatively named, includes all these features that will radically transform your iPhone 4/4S by giving it the capabilities of professional cameras. The kit will be available in 2 versions, with the second one being more valuable and including more accessories than the first one.
The Basic Kit comes with:
- Circular Polarizer filter
- Flip cover/Screen protector
- iPhone case
- Lens Grip
- Wide-angle lens
The Early Bird Full Kit or the Full 3RDi Kit, as it is also known, adds a fisheye lens and a Natural Density filter to the basic pack.
One of the problems that I fail to understand is why would anyone bother to launch an accessory for iPhone 4/4S when iPhone 5 is literally knocking at the door. That is, unless Apple decides to keep the same form factor, fact that would once again determine all the other smartphone owners in the world to burst into laughter. On the other hand, there are probably plenty of iPhone 4/4S users in the world that do not plan to change their phone in the very near future.
As in the case of most other KickStarter projects, each person that backs-up this design will get in return a reward corresponding to the amount of money that she or he pledged. More precisely, people who offer between $1 and $134 will receive a very big “Thank you!” and access to exclusive “Backer Only” information that is made available as the project progresses. Should people decide to pledge between $135 and $184, they will get in return a Basic 3RDi Kit. Analogically, funding the project with $185-$198 will get people an Early Bird Full Kit, while pledging $199 or more would guarantee a 3RDi Full Kit. The last two kits are basically one and the same, but only 250 Early Bird kits will be available at this discounted price.
The project will be funded only if the goal of $150,000 is achieved by August 19. Provided that at this moment only a bit over $3,600 have been pledged, I am not sure what to say about the odds of the project. If it gets a lot of online publicity and people decide to invest in a platform that is yesterday’s jam, then this product might as well become real. In case the goal is reached by the deadline, people who funded the project with a sum that entitles them to getting one of the three kits, should expect them in November 2012.
If you liked this post, please check these 5 DIY iPhone camera hacks and GoPano, a device that turns iPhone into a 360 degrees camera.
