I've always gone to great lengths to snap selfies of myself hands-free—stacking boxes on top of books on top of tables, setting timers, and angling my smartphone just right. Asking someone for help is out of the question because I think I'm photogenic until another person is in the room. Then I suddenly can't even smile without looking like I'm in pain. But a little device called the Pivo Pod has changed everything—my self-photographed dreams have come true.
The Pivo Pod is a small cylindrical and wireless gadget that can rotate 360 degrees. You mount your smartphone on it, and through a variety of creative modes you can capture fun photos or videos and have the little device do all the hard work. It takes the guesswork out of timing your shots, editing, and even positioning, so all you really need to do is pose. It's a bit pricey at $159 for a rotating little puck, but if you're a burgeoning TikTok or YouTube star, it's a great helper if you're riding solo—or if you just can't have someone else in the room to watch your shenanigans.
The Pivo Pod is about 3 inches tall with a mount attached to the top. The mount grips your phone in portrait or landscape mode, and it sits on a disc that rotates 360 degrees. There's also a level to keep your phone resting straight. A remote is also included, and you can use it to activate the shutter on your phone, switch between modes, or adjust the position of the mount.
There are two versions: the Pivo Pod and the Pivo Pod Silver. The latter has improved auto-tracking and can rotate twice as fast, but it's a limited edition and not the model I tested.
Thankfully, it's all fairly simple to set up and get going. You'll need the Pivo app (iOS, Android), and it uses Bluetooth to pair the Pod to the phone. The app walks you through each shooting mode, and if you weren't paying attention the first time around, it's easy to get a quick refresher.