Glad I could help. I have been using a tripod positioned just behind my laptop and it works well. For most calls I'm just using the built in camera now even though it's not as good. I'm not sure anyone cares how good you look on video in a post covid era.
ปีที่แล้ว +6
Excellent Review. True Sight. I'm tired of editors who advertise. We need people with honest reviews.
watched it as embed on Macrumors forum; liked it so much had to click through to YT to leave a like :) I totally forgot I had Manfrotto little tripod somewhere in the drawer. And a selfie stick that no longer charges but has a great Phone clamp... I will have to see if I can MacGyver something out of those 2. Cheers. Great content.
Hey thanks for the dedication to come check this out. I had a meeting today so thought I'd try again but yet again it failed me. I went back to tripod with an iPhone mount and it worked so much better. A good iPhone mount that's got a tripod thread on it is around $10-20 on Amazon. Combined with the Manfrotto you'd be all set.
I have it for the MacBook Air M2 and I have no issues with screen flopping over. Even with a case of the phone. I then tried it with a slightly heavier and larger pop socket style unit and the screen also held it up. Didn’t budge. I reckon this might be the a bad hinge
Great review! I use continuity camera sometimes. But then I stand the camera up, resting it on something simply. I’ve even had it replace a Logitech Conference camera once!
I have the belkin mount and I don’t like it either. BUT the tripod idea is a little tough because a) I want to approximate eye contact. Having my phone to the side doesn’t help me do that, and b) I need to use Continuity Camera with my external monitor, which is thicker. I have an adjustable tripod mount that stands but also can securely attach to vertical objects like poles, etc. It won’t attach to my monitor happily, though. Any reviews that addresses that situation?
This all makes sense. I haven't tried this yet, but I've been thinking about getting one of the suction mounts for iPhones in cars and seeing if that will work. Something like one of these : amzn.to/3PF6Gnl Again, haven't tried it. I've found some suction systems won't stick to laptops because there's a slight curve on the top case. Same with the iMac, they curve too much to hold most suction cups. I've kind of given up on the whole idea of using continuity camera. The image is better, but not drastically better. (I guess I'll try again with the iphone 15). When I'm at my desk and want to do a call with good image quality, I'm using my actual camera with USB-C, as most cameras now support UVC/UVA streaming camera support. I've got a ZV-1 II on a tripod that I use, and it's my second cam when I'm recording.
My Mac set up consist of a MacBook Air and Ipad 9th gen that I use primarily as a second display. I have the Belkin Iphone mount and I put that set up on my Ipad and Ipad stand. Looks great and works better than trying to juggle it on my MacBook screen.
Yeah haha I was wondering about. For sone months ive been using an arm to hold my phone so I can use it as my cam in while working online. I short - I completely agree with your conclusion!
If you have a laptop I've found you can lean it against the screen just above the keyboard. Lol. I've got a 3d printer now so going to try to design a holder that's an angled arm that holds the phone and keeps the screen at a good angle. :)
Hi Dave. Your link to "BETTER ALTERNATIVES TO THE BELKIN MOUNT" doesn't seem to include the mount you show in the video (the red, tabletop mount. Looks like a Joby or Manfrotto). Could you post the name/brand of that mount - include the Amazon affiliate link so I can "reward" you. :)
Hey @shawnking thanks for pointing that out. I had to get to Thanksgiving prep today and rushed the production a bit. It's a Manfrotto clone that another creator I know had bought, and it's excellent - triesth.is/st27 and I've added it to the description. It has a cold-shoe on both sides so you can mount a mic and a light if you want. The tripod legs themselves I change around. These expand with slide-out legs, I also put this on a tripod that turns into a selfie stick for better support. Any generic small tripod legs work, and I've put it on a Gorilla Pod as well. Thanks so much for your support. I appreciate it. I just subscribed to your channel, so you better get back to making content. :)(
@@davetriesthis Thanks for the update. Sadly, no videos from me are likely in the near future. My content creation days are over. A fella can only beat his head against a brick wall so many times before he wises up and moves on. :(
Great. But what about those of us who actually use our laptop ON OUR LAP? A tripod is awkward, unstable and unreasonable for a mobile, laptop user. Other ideas? BTW unfortunately found about the crappy belkin performance BEFORE finding your video to search for an alternative. Doh!
Lol. Sorry you didn't see my video first:( when I'm using my laptop on my lap I now just leave my phone leaning just above the keys on the screen. That said I just got a 3d printer and am going to print a piece I can put my laptop on that will keep the lid from falling backwards. Mostly I'm just hoping for better cameras in laptops.
Thanks for the suggestion. Which Mac are you using? Excuse the long answer but here's a few issues I covered in my original edit and I didn't leave them all in for brevity so I'm going to take this opportunity to mention them for anyone that reads through this. The main problem-and I had a whole rant about this I cut as it sounded a bit overly angry, is that the MagSafe magnets aren't really strong enough. If ever used a back mounted charger like Apple's, you probably have the experience of it sliding off due to the friction in a pocket. This is why Belkin used their own magnet, but it's still not strong enough due to the strength of the magnet in the phone itself. The model here is the Touch Bar MacBook Pro. Hinge is definitely fine, have compared it to others. It's a bit of a combo of the screen thickness and the heigh of the lip that's on the screen side of the computer. As the screen goes back the gap between the the thickness of the screen and the mount causes the mount to lose contact with the screen, and the mount wobbles and either it shakes off the phone or they both fall off. You know how some clip on webcams have a clip that can be adjusted to the thickness of the display? It should have that for different laptops. The other issue is actually that the hinge on this laptop is *too* sturdy for the weight. This older MBP 13" has a particularly light body. Because the hinge is *not* loose when you push on the top of the display the bottom comes off the desk as the hinge maintains its angle well. Bottom comes up, center of gravity changes, laptop falls over or phone falls off. I'm sure it would not have this issue on the 16" MBP as that's got enough of a base to counteract the weight on the screen. But for air and light MBP users this is a problem. The case I'm using isn't particularly heavy (it's not an otterbox, for example) and it's MagSafe so you'd think it would stay connected but even that extra weight is enough to make the phone fall off. Since Belkin used their own magnet and not a MagSafe charger, the weight of a case should have been taken into account. Anyhow, YMMV but no models of the Mac should have this happen. I had a company send me their MagSafe mount (not for sponsorship just to try) and I'll do a follow up if that's any better.
Ah might be your case. I use it without a case on a Touch Bar 13” 2020 MBP. I just tried opening the laptop more than I normally would, it doesn’t fall off at any point. However, at the max angle the laptop keyboard rises up, but the bottom of the screen then touches the desk which prevents it from toppling. I take the case off when I have a meeting because my case doesn’t have MagSafe magnets in it.
THIS! Is exactly what I was looking for. I watched another video explaining how using a hard case on a MacBook would wear out the hinge over time which led me to wonder if the continuity feature, via MacBook attachment, would do the same. By the looks of this video it would be just as much if not more harmful. I’m going to be staying away from these accessories and use a tripod. Great video!
Thank you good sir. I nearly bought the Belkin bs. I've had issues with their some of their other products in the past so I'm glad I decided to do a bit more research before doing something stupid.
It is my second month as a TH-camr. I'm glad to learn about continuity camera, although I am still not sure if any tripod can work! I have a tripod here and I still can't figure how this works🥲
Continuity camera works regardless of what the phone is connected to. When you start your video app, select the phone as your video and audio input source from whatever interface the app has. Usually it's clicking and holding on the camera and mic icons. Your phone will switch to being the camera. Good luck YouTubing!!
Could you suggest an EDC tripod that I can use for continuity?
Thank you for this. What's try-pod can you recommend, and maybe Tere is a better looking stand with only one leg that also charges?
Thank you for the objective review. I was just about to buy this mount for my iPhone because I really need it for frequent work video conferences.
Glad I could help. I have been using a tripod positioned just behind my laptop and it works well.
For most calls I'm just using the built in camera now even though it's not as good. I'm not sure anyone cares how good you look on video in a post covid era.
Excellent Review. True Sight. I'm tired of editors who advertise. We need people with honest reviews.
Wow. Than you so much.
watched it as embed on Macrumors forum; liked it so much had to click through to YT to leave a like :) I totally forgot I had Manfrotto little tripod somewhere in the drawer. And a selfie stick that no longer charges but has a great Phone clamp... I will have to see if I can MacGyver something out of those 2. Cheers. Great content.
Hey thanks for the dedication to come check this out. I had a meeting today so thought I'd try again but yet again it failed me. I went back to tripod with an iPhone mount and it worked so much better.
A good iPhone mount that's got a tripod thread on it is around $10-20 on Amazon. Combined with the Manfrotto you'd be all set.
That's actually a great recommendation. Thank you for that Dave! Liked and subscribed.
My pleasure. And thanks for subscribing.
Best advice! thanks for a honest review
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the comment.
Thanks for this review: your solution makes much more sense.
I guess there's a reason tripods have been around so long. :)
I have an iPhone SE (3rd generation / 2022). Will Continuity Camera work for me on my SE? If so, what mount do I have to use?
I believe it's an operating system function not hardware so as long as that phone supports the newest OS you're good.
I have it for the MacBook Air M2 and I have no issues with screen flopping over. Even with a case of the phone. I then tried it with a slightly heavier and larger pop socket style unit and the screen also held it up. Didn’t budge. I reckon this might be the a bad hinge
Glad it works for you! My MacBook Pro is older than the new Air so it's likely there designed slightly differently hinge-wise.
Great review! I use continuity camera sometimes. But then I stand the camera up, resting it on something simply. I’ve even had it replace a Logitech Conference camera once!
I have been leaning it against my screen on my laptop in the lower right corner. Stays mostly out of the way and is just slightly off center :)
I have the belkin mount and I don’t like it either. BUT the tripod idea is a little tough because a) I want to approximate eye contact. Having my phone to the side doesn’t help me do that, and b) I need to use Continuity Camera with my external monitor, which is thicker. I have an adjustable tripod mount that stands but also can securely attach to vertical objects like poles, etc. It won’t attach to my monitor happily, though. Any reviews that addresses that situation?
This all makes sense.
I haven't tried this yet, but I've been thinking about getting one of the suction mounts for iPhones in cars and seeing if that will work. Something like one of these : amzn.to/3PF6Gnl
Again, haven't tried it. I've found some suction systems won't stick to laptops because there's a slight curve on the top case. Same with the iMac, they curve too much to hold most suction cups.
I've kind of given up on the whole idea of using continuity camera. The image is better, but not drastically better. (I guess I'll try again with the iphone 15). When I'm at my desk and want to do a call with good image quality, I'm using my actual camera with USB-C, as most cameras now support UVC/UVA streaming camera support. I've got a ZV-1 II on a tripod that I use, and it's my second cam when I'm recording.
My Mac set up consist of a MacBook Air and Ipad 9th gen that I use primarily as a second display. I have the Belkin Iphone mount and I put that set up on my Ipad and Ipad stand. Looks great and works better than trying to juggle it on my MacBook screen.
What a smart idea!
Got any products in mind for an external monitor?
What kind of work
Yeah haha
I was wondering about. For sone months ive been using an arm to hold my phone so I can use it as my cam in while working online.
I short - I completely agree with your conclusion!
If you have a laptop I've found you can lean it against the screen just above the keyboard. Lol.
I've got a 3d printer now so going to try to design a holder that's an angled arm that holds the phone and keeps the screen at a good angle. :)
Thanks, I think I'll go with a tripod! Also, I might have to steal the cat subscribe skit you did for my own videos 😄
Please do! The internet needs more cats urging you to subscribe!
Hi Dave. Your link to "BETTER ALTERNATIVES TO THE BELKIN MOUNT" doesn't seem to include the mount you show in the video (the red, tabletop mount. Looks like a Joby or Manfrotto). Could you post the name/brand of that mount - include the Amazon affiliate link so I can "reward" you. :)
Hey @shawnking thanks for pointing that out. I had to get to Thanksgiving prep today and rushed the production a bit.
It's a Manfrotto clone that another creator I know had bought, and it's excellent - triesth.is/st27 and I've added it to the description.
It has a cold-shoe on both sides so you can mount a mic and a light if you want.
The tripod legs themselves I change around. These expand with slide-out legs, I also put this on a tripod that turns into a selfie stick for better support. Any generic small tripod legs work, and I've put it on a Gorilla Pod as well.
Thanks so much for your support. I appreciate it. I just subscribed to your channel, so you better get back to making content. :)(
@@davetriesthis Thanks for the update. Sadly, no videos from me are likely in the near future. My content creation days are over. A fella can only beat his head against a brick wall so many times before he wises up and moves on. :(
@@ShawnKing I hear ya. Hope you've moved to better things.
@@davetriesthis Sadly, no. Things have just continued to go downhill. :(
Mine works perfectly fine, no issues whatsoever. I also bought the one for Mac desktops, and it works flawlessly as well.
Awesome! Glad it works for you.
I printed one and later I put it on a tripod. Agree 100%
Out of curiosity where can I see a photo? I love to see what people 3d print!
@@davetriesthis look on Thingiverse for „CNET iPhone MacBook Mount“ - I had to modify it, because I use a shell on my MacBook.
Great. But what about those of us who actually use our laptop ON OUR LAP? A tripod is awkward, unstable and unreasonable for a mobile, laptop user. Other ideas? BTW unfortunately found about the crappy belkin performance BEFORE finding your video to search for an alternative. Doh!
Lol. Sorry you didn't see my video first:( when I'm using my laptop on my lap I now just leave my phone leaning just above the keys on the screen.
That said I just got a 3d printer and am going to print a piece I can put my laptop on that will keep the lid from falling backwards.
Mostly I'm just hoping for better cameras in laptops.
@@davetriesthis Maybe you can sell some to the rest of us! :)
I'll have to stick them in the merch shop :)
Bizarre, I have had zero issues with mine. Maybe yours or your laptop hinge is faulty?
Thanks for the suggestion. Which Mac are you using?
Excuse the long answer but here's a few issues I covered in my original edit and I didn't leave them all in for brevity so I'm going to take this opportunity to mention them for anyone that reads through this.
The main problem-and I had a whole rant about this I cut as it sounded a bit overly angry, is that the MagSafe magnets aren't really strong enough. If ever used a back mounted charger like Apple's, you probably have the experience of it sliding off due to the friction in a pocket.
This is why Belkin used their own magnet, but it's still not strong enough due to the strength of the magnet in the phone itself.
The model here is the Touch Bar MacBook Pro. Hinge is definitely fine, have compared it to others.
It's a bit of a combo of the screen thickness and the heigh of the lip that's on the screen side of the computer.
As the screen goes back the gap between the the thickness of the screen and the mount causes the mount to lose contact with the screen, and the mount wobbles and either it shakes off the phone or they both fall off.
You know how some clip on webcams have a clip that can be adjusted to the thickness of the display? It should have that for different laptops.
The other issue is actually that the hinge on this laptop is *too* sturdy for the weight. This older MBP 13" has a particularly light body. Because the hinge is *not* loose when you push on the top of the display the bottom comes off the desk as the hinge maintains its angle well.
Bottom comes up, center of gravity changes, laptop falls over or phone falls off.
I'm sure it would not have this issue on the 16" MBP as that's got enough of a base to counteract the weight on the screen. But for air and light MBP users this is a problem.
The case I'm using isn't particularly heavy (it's not an otterbox, for example) and it's MagSafe so you'd think it would stay connected but even that extra weight is enough to make the phone fall off. Since Belkin used their own magnet and not a MagSafe charger, the weight of a case should have been taken into account.
Anyhow, YMMV but no models of the Mac should have this happen.
I had a company send me their MagSafe mount (not for sponsorship just to try) and I'll do a follow up if that's any better.
Ah might be your case. I use it without a case on a Touch Bar 13” 2020 MBP. I just tried opening the laptop more than I normally would, it doesn’t fall off at any point. However, at the max angle the laptop keyboard rises up, but the bottom of the screen then touches the desk which prevents it from toppling. I take the case off when I have a meeting because my case doesn’t have MagSafe magnets in it.
THIS! Is exactly what I was looking for. I watched another video explaining how using a hard case on a MacBook would wear out the hinge over time which led me to wonder if the continuity feature, via MacBook attachment, would do the same. By the looks of this video it would be just as much if not more harmful. I’m going to be staying away from these accessories and use a tripod. Great video!
Thanks much!!
Thank you good sir. I nearly bought the Belkin bs. I've had issues with their some of their other products in the past so I'm glad I decided to do a bit more research before doing something stupid.
Glad to help!
Thanks for saving me some $$$$
No problem 👍
FIRST!!!! Notification squad.
Did you click the bell or something?
💯💯
SECOND
Rule no 1, If you have a cat, black is not for you!
But one of my cats is black so I'm screwed either way.
Did this guy just take a wireless solution and make it wired?
What?
@@davetriesthisthere is a white wire hanging from your phone.
No why waste your money on a apple product to begin with.
Do you just go on TH-cam and look for videos with Apple products so you can insult their users?
Use whatever computer you want.
The whole point is convenience. I think you are missing the point 110%
If you find a convenient, great. Personally, I don't think that my phone falling off of my laptop over and over again is particular convenient.
It is my second month as a TH-camr. I'm glad to learn about continuity camera, although I am still not sure if any tripod can work! I have a tripod here and I still can't figure how this works🥲
Continuity camera works regardless of what the phone is connected to. When you start your video app, select the phone as your video and audio input source from whatever interface the app has. Usually it's clicking and holding on the camera and mic icons. Your phone will switch to being the camera.
Good luck YouTubing!!
@@davetriesthis thank you 😊
@@MwalimuShauri my pleasure. That's the best when you can help someone's creative needs