Eico Design, maker of Chinese Instagram wannabe Weico+, just briefed us on its tie-up with the HongKong-based Kickstarter project Cooltopia in an effort to take more advantage of smartphone’s photo taking function.
Cooltopia launched a project dubbed snappgrip on Kickstarter, the project, involves a snap-on camera control for smartphones with easy access to shutter, zoom and mode. The controller mounts to a protective iPhone case and is removable, so you can have it connected whenever you feel like a serious photography or leave it aside when you don’t need it. It lasts about 60 hours after one charge with its mciro-USB port.
As the device could be turned into a convenient addition for “smartphone photograthers”, leading Chinese interactive design company Eico Design also saw the opportunities – think of the Facebook-Instagram team-up – in delving into photo sharing market with the launch of Weico+.
With an ambitious dream to brew China’s Instagram, the partnership between Eico Design and Cooltopia on their products could be churning out big benefits for Weico+ as its users would be eligible to a better photo taking experience on their mobile devices aided by snappgrip as well as propel the adoption of the app via snappgrip’s planned hardware retail channels. Eico Design would also take a cut from snappgrip’s sales. On the flipside, snappgrip users benefit from a choice of the snappgrip-native or Weico+ app that delivers additional photography functions, image processing effects and social media sharing.
The two companies plan to work together on future camera grip products for smartphones and tablets with additional features.
Snappgrip is supposed to be made available next month, covering iPhone 5, iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S3. The device will be exhibited at the CES epcom Digital Experience on 8/1 and MacWorld expo 31/1-2/2 as well.
