The motion-tracking Swivl smartphone dock is cool, except for the marker device that you have to carry with you always and also the hefty $179 price tag. But the folks at Satarii have just introduced a more basic version of the accessory called Swivl-it which is currently available for $129, although that marker is still needed.

In case you are new to the product, the Swivl comes equipped with sensors that track a marker you will be holding. You just have to dock your smartphone in it, grab the marker, and then start recording yourself or video chatting. When you move around in your room, the dock will automatically follow the marker horizontally or vertically. And iPhone users are able to use a marker which has a built-in microphone.

As you might have guessed by now, the new Swivl-it comes with fewer features. With this version, vertical tilting has to be done manually. And also the marker device won’t have a microphone, so you will have to make sure that you are in range of your smartphone’s mic. But you will be able to purchase a $49 microphone-packing marker later on, but then you should have just got the original Swivl.

And a price cut is important for the makers as there are other products out there like the Galileo which is coming with a lower price tag yet having cool features.

Head here if you are interested in the Swivl-it and here if you want to try your luck.

The post Swivl-it: The Cheaper Swivl Smartphone Dock appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

To be fair, the Swivl doesn’t really track you the way that you’d expect. Instead, it’s really keeping track of the marker. You can place that on your person (which almost ruins the shot), hold it, or attach it to the thing you want the camera to follow. It’s not ideal since it’s not terribly stealthy, but it does seem to be a cool concept.

While the developers did create the Swivl (it was originally called the Star) for the iPhone, it could just as easily work with any number of compact camera that are about the same size. It’s just that the cameras won’t be able to make sure of the iPhone charging function. The original prototype only did horizontal tracking, but the final product will tilt vertically too.

The goal is to have Swivl launch in North America in early 2012 for an expected retail price of $159.99.

The post Swivl Camera Dock For iPhone Automatically Follows Your Movements appeared first on Mobile Magazine.