Hitcase lets iPhone star in your own adventure movies
The tough, waterproof Hitcase presses your iPhone into service as an action sports camera. The creators have also managed to design a comfortable chest mount for it.
When I first saw a photo of Hitcase's new chest mount for its ruggedized iPhone case system, I thought to myself, "Hmm, I wonder how that fits on a woman." I had to go find out for myself.
Let's backtrack before we get to the try-on stage. Hitcase has splashed down into the category of tough cases for the iPhone. It's a bit chunky and a bit heavy, but it does the job. Unlike the water-resistant and waterproof-for-a-few-inches cases, it can go for a serious dive of up to 33 feet under the blue.
Hitcase is trying hard to replace the need for a GoPro for action sports nuts who love to film mountain biking, downhill skiing, and other outdoor activities with a high probability of wiping out. Instead of treating your iPhone like a delicate flower, you can take it along to record the fun. The case opens up like a book, so it's easy in and easy out. The idea is you don't leave this on your phone all the time, just when you need it.
Hitcase just recently started shipping. The case comes in two flavors, a standard version for $90 and a Pro version with a glass lens that doubles the field of vision for $130. Each case comes with a selection of mounts. The mounts are GoPro-compatible in case you want to use them with a GoPro camera.
The ChestR mount will set you back an extra $50. I tried it on for size on the show floor at CES. Thanks to the neoprene design of the chest piece, the device was surprisingly comfortable. I can't say it's particularly flattering for the female form, but it's certainly practical. The ChestR was designed by a female apparel designer, which explains why I was able to wear it without feeling like I had a girdle on in the wrong place.
The best part of the design is that it leaves the iPhone screen available for you to play with when you're not in the middle of shredding a half-pipe. There's some competition heating up in the iPhone-as-action-sports-camera space, but Hitcase is a worthy entry to the field.