GantryWorks Introduces Smartphone Holder that Helps Users Video Call on TV
GantryWorks launches new product, TellyMount, on Kickstarter. TellyMount is a smartphone holder designed for TVs so that the phone's camera can be used in new ways with a TV.
- San Francisco, CA (1888PressRelease) May 06, 2016 - GantryWorks launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring TellyMount, a smartphone holder for TVs, into production. TellyMount allows consumers to use their smartphone and TV together in new ways, such as video calling or playing motion-based games on TV.
Traditionally, video calling on TV is accomplished through either a TV's built-in camera or through an expensive external TV camera. However, users can also video call on TV by taking advantage of the camera in the smartphones they already own. This can be done by launching a video calling app on a phone (such as FaceTime, Skype, or Hangouts) and then mirroring the phone to a TV through Apple TV or Chromecast (or another mirroring method, such as MHL or Apple Digital AV). The video calling session on the phone can then be enjoyed on the big-screen.
To properly video call on TV, the camera should be positioned at the appropriate angle and height. This is the reason webcams are positioned at the top-center of monitors. Correct camera positioning enables eye-contact between callers so that they're talking to each other instead of awkwardly gazing in different directions. TellyMount centers a phone above the TV and allows users to tilt their phone to the perfect camera angle so that users look great on video calls. By using TellyMount, everyone in the living room can comfortably fit on the video call at the same time without the hassle of holding or passing the phone.
Approximately 35 percent of adult smartphone users in the United States already video call on their phones. "People will really see the difference when they video call on the big-screen instead of their phone," says GantryWorks co-founder Edward Wu. "The entire family can be on the couch to video call together without crowding around a smaller screen."
If the on-going Kickstarter campaign reaches its stretch goal, TellyMount will include a new mobile app (iOS and Android) for video calling. Unlike existing apps, it will be optimized for video calling on TV. The new TellyMount app will ensure that audio for video calls will output to TV speakers (existing video calling apps that are mirrored over Chromecast only output audio via the phone). The new app will also allow the phone's camera to zoom-in so that video callers are enlarged and even easier to see on TV. The TellyMount app will also enable iPhone users to video call on TV via Chromecast.
Beyond video calling, users can play full-body motion games on TV by mirroring those games from their smartphone to their TV. Kinect-style games that utilize a phone's built-in camera are available for both iPhone and Android phones. These games include Zumba Dance, by Majesco Entertainment, and Sky Hero, by Kokonut Studio. TellyMount conveniently holds the phone during gameplay and allows users to quickly adjust the camera angle to account for a user's height and distance from the TV.
TellyMount breaks ground for a new category of mounting solutions that re-imagine how smartphones couple with TVs to create a cost-effective communication and entertainment hub. Collectively, more than 50 million units of Apple TV and Chromecast have been sold to date. As such, many households already have a device to mirror their phones to their TVs.
TellyMount is designed to fit virtually any TV and has an expandable phone clamp to hold virtually any smartphone, even with a case.
TellyMount can be obtained through Kickstarter at 50% off MSRP at an early-bird price of $25. Visit TellyMount's Kickstarter campaign for more information (www.kickstarter.com/projects/gantryworks/tellymount-better-video-calls-and-motiongames-on).
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