Snapture Flash adds crappy flash to crappy iPhone camera

The iPhone's camera may be thoroughly eclipsed by several of its competitors, but the insane popularity of Apple's baby means that we've seen tons of accessories aimed at making that 2.1 megapixel sensor somewhat more useful -- like the Snapture Flash here, which tucks a xenon flash with red-eye reduction into a sleeve-type case. Although it's powered by the phone, it's apparently quite low-power -- SnaptureLabs estimates that you'll take 1000 shots before going dry -- and there's some sort of "speaker amplification" built in as well, just in case you're super into enhancing mediocre parts of the iPhone experience. Bad news? You'll have to jailbreak your phone to get the Snapture app working -- hopefully that'll be remedied by the time this thing ships. Check out some sample shots at the read link.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

[Razorman @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:40PM]

Thoroughly eclipsed?

Try completely.

[eyEi @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:57PM]

This has massive FAIL all over it...

How are Apple users (beautiful smart people) suppose to caress the revolutionary aluminum back plate?

[Flashpoint @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:57PM]

Forget the flash

try making a camera that isn't ridiculously blurry from minute movements.

[madwh @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:24PM]

eyEi you just won part of the Internet with beautiful smart people.

[Knee to the Groin @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:25PM]

"Forget the flash"...

This coming from "Flashpoint"!?

[aYe aye @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:32PM]

Beautiful smart people who have only the greatest phone ever cre...


Ahw hell, even with /sarcasm/ aimed sharp, I can't stomach talking like iEye...

[Chris @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:41PM]

Engadget calling something Apple made crappy?

RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mike10010100 @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:44PM]

I second that complete surprise.

[Nytrojen @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:47PM]

It's NOT Apple made... hence the apparent crappiness

[Razorman @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:49PM]

The camera's Apple made. Hopefully.

[dudi @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:50PM]

Its made for Apple...
Not by! Hence the acceptance of crappiness!

[patriotsn1 @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:04PM]

Are you people finding the title THAT hard to read? It infers that both the flash add on device AND the iphone camera are both "crappy"

[T Hom @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:41PM]

Haha I agree with you, Patriot. But unfortunately for them the title does not just infer that both are crappy, it BLATANTLY states "crappy flash to CRAPPY IPHONE CAMERA."

PS. I wish I could italicize instead of typing in bold. Bold makes it seem like I am screaming instead of drawing attention to the words. Shitty.

[Knee to the Groin @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:55PM]

I wish you would type in bold INSTEAD OF CAPS

[tom @ Dec 24th 2008 12:15AM]

Crappy flash and crappy camera? How about a crappy zoom lens?

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10813

[T Hom @ Dec 24th 2008 1:47AM]

Knee to the groin you caught me. I definitely said bold instead of caps. Dammit :/

[mos @ Dec 24th 2008 2:46AM]

This device was not approved by Apple. If it has a fruit logo then it would be another story.

[chezzo @ Dec 24th 2008 6:45AM]

It must be the effect of the Christmas break... I assume you have to love Apple to get anywhere high up the Engadget ladder. Now all the Apple-lovers are on holiday, leaving their underlings to write articles unchecked. THE REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN.

[Mobius_1 @ Dec 24th 2008 7:43AM]

I don't think crappy and iphone ever appeared in a headline together...

[Nilay Patel @ Dec 24th 2008 10:48AM]

@chezzo Check the masthead, homey. :)

[Game_playa @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:45PM]

Finally it happened!

[Boards of Canada @ Dec 24th 2008 12:31AM]

yep! the clownphone.

[john @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:47PM]

the whole phone is crap !

[eyEi @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:52PM]

Bite you tongue!

[john @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:57PM]

i second that and... i forgot to tell u im the "other" dude in your head that tells u being a pc rocks.....sorry you had to find out this way.

[Dopefish @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:23PM]

as much as I may agree with your testament, this is a ignorant comment by anyones standards



:P

[Squid7085 @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:26PM]

But when we call any other phone crap we are "stupid fanboys?" How is that fair?

[patriotsn1 @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:48PM]

Because he doesn't have a company logo in his icon and he's not comparing it to whatever device you think he is a fanboy of. Nothing about the statement says what he'd rather have, thus he's not being a fan of anything, just disliking that particular phone. When people like you say something about another product with your little apple icon and saying that other devices don't live up to yours, even though it is extremely inferior in many aspects to other devices, that might cause some to refer to you as a "stupid fanboy".

[Taylor @ Dec 24th 2008 4:11AM]

If you can justify that any phone is crap, then I'll accept that without fanboism.

[D.S = digtal shit @ Dec 24th 2008 10:57AM]

Finaly someone GETS THE FACT THAT THE IPHONE SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Technology.com.au News @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:48PM]

4G technology- Analysis of the photo capabilities and images.

[Knee to the Groin @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:46PM]

Wow, thanks for that awesome comment!

P.S. I LOVE your user I.D.... -1

[Brendan McBain @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:48PM]

It'd be good if they incorperated this in a nicer looking case.
Would be good to see some sample photos aswell to see if it actually does any good in dark nightclubs etc.

[patriotsn1 @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:49PM]

Wow that molding looks terrible... Looks like they made this item in the same plastic factory that makes sex toys for women, and one of them fell into the mold and they just said "eh, say it's for the iphone and it'll sell".

[Adam @ Dec 24th 2008 3:49AM]

I'm glad to know you are quite familiar with the plastic used to make sex toys.

[bokeen @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:58PM]

I agree. I can't believe that theres an entire market for crappy looking bolt-on accessories for the otherwise slick iPhone. It's like buying a Mercedes and then bolting on a garish, oversized spoiler.

[patriotsn1 @ Dec 24th 2008 12:25AM]

@Adam

Yeah well your mom is into some kinky shit... I'm just tryin to keep up.

/mom joke

[who? @ Dec 24th 2008 12:30AM]

True, in this case (no pun intended) a wrap around styling is stupid, because you would need to take it out and use it while it's attached. However, for wrap around backup batteries it is (in my opinion) the best design. That way, you can charge the internal battery all the way while it's in your pocket and detach the iPhone (or any device) to use it *cough* show it off *cough* as intended.

[Dannyboy @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:52PM]

I gotta say this
Although dire on paper, Its pretty good if the lighting is ok....


Playing sim city, and raging thunder, and using apps like shazam and flixter, not to mention facebook, photoswap, and amazing google maps implementation.... I think it's an oustanding phone, and it has made my life 1000 times easier than the blackberry...
Just give me copy and paste, and flash, and you, mr. Jobs have yourself a customer for life.....

Ps by far fastest 3g phone I've used here in the I'm on O2

[Chris @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:55PM]

Question, does anything in the iphone SDK prevent the use of extra accessories like this?

[dudi @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:57PM]

Any app built requires the final go ahead from Apple

[KarlW @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:09PM]

I don't think so, but the accessory (which uses the dock connector) won't ship unless the manufacturers do that whole 'built for iPod' thing.

If it worked over WiFi, it wouldn't use Apple's proprietary connector, and hence wouldn't need a license. They could submit the app to the store, and Apple would have no good reason to refuse it. That's all theoretical, mind you - connecting a flash over WiFi to a phone less than a centimetre away is obviously overkill, and Apple doesn't need a reason to refuse apps.

[aYe aye @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:50PM]

The shine off Apple user's clean bright teeth should act as a sufficient flash

[who? @ Dec 24th 2008 1:32AM]

@aYe aye

Interesting. I can see that you have (as of this moment) ranked up a whopping three comments. All in reply to this story. iEye, is that you? Come on lil' fella, don't be shy!

[Lance @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:55PM]

Why are they promoting (supposedly) innovative technology on the old model?

[CleverEndeavor @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:57PM]

another crappy peripheral for a crappy phone...
woo-hoo?

[arcticpenguins @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:03PM]

Useless.

[Stephen.4 @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:19PM]

The iPhone's camera is only 2.0 megapixels. Just to make this post make the iPhone look worse.

[chefgon_ign @ Dec 24th 2008 12:52PM]

A 2.0 megapixel camera can make fabulous looking pictures if it has a decent lens and sensor. This one sure as hell doesn't, but faulting it because of its megapixel count is kind of pointless.

[Justin @ Dec 25th 2008 11:52PM]

As a photographer, that actually makes it look even better to me. Because the first thing that comes to my head when I see a high megapixel number on a small phone camera is "why on earth put a high-res sensor on a camera that has such a small lens?" The answer is, of course, purely for marketing reasons. So I'm glade Apple didn't go down that path.