Are you a selfie fan? Want more control? Well, this weird little gadget should suit you. Or should it?
The mySelfie is a Bluetooth remote for your smartphone or tablet. Not only that but it’ll work as an anti-theft key ring to locate your phone or your keys.
Design
It comes in a very simple unassuming box with some pictures of the product and details about the ways you can us it. The unit itself is no more than a box and is about the size of a small key fob. That, to be honest, is it.
If I’m attempt to get some additional detail for you, I’d say that it It has a button on it and above this is a speaker plus a wire loop poking out of the top to attach to your keys.
Around the back is a battery cover and this can be removed to reveal the CR2032 battery. It’s like the ones that some old fashioned calculators used to use. It’s good to see that this is replaceable, although as the unit uses low-power Bluetooth 4.0, it shouldn’t be needed anytime soon.
The unit will connect to you phone only via an app that Hauppauge have made. This is also called My Selfie, the app can be found for Android on the Play Store and for the iPhone on the App Store. Windows phone users are out of luck here unfortunately (check out Nokia’s Treasure Tag as it shares some functionality). The app is well, it’s not pretty let’s just say that. It does however perform the desired functions.
Setup
To setup you need to download the app from the relevant store (the Play Store in my case). On opening the app it will ask you to allow Bluetooth access to pair the unit. You do this by pressing the button on the device and holding for 3 seconds.
After that the device will be paired and the app will show that it is connected. I did however have the unfortunate occurrence which sullies any out of box experience – the dreaded Firmware update. This took about ten minutes and required my screen to be on for the whole time as it would fail otherwise. This is not good Hauppauge and needs to be sorted ASAP.
Use
So you can use the device in a variety of ways. The main one being a remote trigger for your camera on your smartphone or tablet. Another way is too use it as a key finder. Lastly another suggested use is to find your kids. Y’know, just in case you misplace them under the coffee table or something.
Parenting concerns aside, the range of that the Bluetooth 4.0 is capable of isn’t a lot, so if they exceed the 10 metres or so then this whole location feature is essentially a moot point. In fact, during my tests I found that exact issues. Just walking into my kitchen whilst the unit was on my mantelpiece on the adjoining wall was enough for me to lose connectivity.
Now it could be that I live in a house with lead lined walls (I am beginning to think this is true) or the Bluetooth signal being emitted from this is just not very strong.
However, let’s move on to the Selfie function. This is great option for those who don’t have the need to see the pose they’re striking before a picture is taken. I can’t see why you would use this other than for group shots or pictures taken with the smartphone in a tripod.
The pictures I produced (which were without any sort of tripod) were easily achievable using the standard app driven camera. Without standing the phone against a wall or screwing it to a tripod the results were mediocre at best.
I showed the unit to a colleague who is a selfie fiend. She had a quick play with it and was really not that impressed with the way it all worked. From what I understand about selfies (not much it seems*) is that it’s all about the pose. This pose needs to be monitored to get that perfect shot otherwise, what is the point?
I have to agree with her in that respect.
There are a few features of note. The system will let you know if you’ve left your phone behind (in that it beeps when it loses contact with the phone), the battery should last many months, you can take multiple shots quickly and you can flip between the front and back camera quickly and easily.
Who is this for?
I think the device is best suited to those who need to be able to take pictures from a setup that includes tripods etc. Or those taking pictures from a distance over an arm’s length away. If you are one of these people then this unit will be a useful addition to your arsenal. If not then skip it and keep going with your “duck pout” selfie.
You can find out more about the product and buy one for £29.99 from Amazon
*Disclaimers- For those of you who read my reviews you should know that my selfie was an essential part of the review and was not an enjoyable experience for this camera shy reviewer.