By It’s hard to believe that there are still phones that ship without LED flashes in this day and age, but you’d be surprised how many phones there are without this seemingly basic addition. In fact, the original phone that started the current Samsung craze — the Samsung Galaxy S — was one such device. An interesting solution has been thought up to take care of that oversight, though, and it exists as a project on IndieGoGo.
It’s being called Coverlight, and the engineer — Stefano Emidi — has done an excellent job constructing this one. It’s a battery door replacement that has a built-in LED flash. It’s been carefully built to steer clear or blocking other elements like the camera (of course) and speaker, and also does well to steer clear of causing any issues with radios.
The door includes a button to turn the flash on and off. It obviously won’t be able to provide a quick flash as it doesn’t interface with the Galaxy S’s hardware or software in any capacity, but it’s a lot better than not having the option at all when you need to take those tough pictures in the dark.
The only problem with Coverlight is that it has only been built for this specific device. The idea is noble, but at this point the Samsung Galaxy S has lived out the typical two-year lifespan that devices tend to have thanks to the nature of mobile contracts. There are sure to be a few strays here and there, but the device has been antiquated for the most part. This means Coverlight is going to have a tough time raising the funds it needs to get off the ground.
A better idea might be to provide a line of cases for a multitude of devices with this functionality built-in. Still, the problem with that is most popular devices these days already come with LED flashes built-in. If nothing else, though, Coverlight serves as a great reminder that the most simple ideas can perhaps turn out to be the most useful, and perhaps this hardware mod can inspire more people to solve the problems OEMs force us to solve with glaring omissions.
We’ve contacted Stefano to get his thoughts on how he could take this project further, but if you happen to own a Galaxy S and find yourself needing something like this be sure to pledge some funds to the project on IndieGogo. It’s already racked up a modest $700+ so there’s some interest there, but only time will tell if this ends up becoming something that members of the crowd-funding community find themselves wanting in droves.
guys..pack it up..this idea is weak and outdated
Yea a little dated but it’s something that makes you think.
How about you just get a new phone. A device only lasts 2 years tops now and a phone without a flash is just ancient.
By the time this comes to market it is going to be sold for 3 year phones.
sad outdated idea, not many phones come without a flash anymore. If you happen to have an original galaxy s phone it’s time to upgrade.
The gps issues and the lack of a flash are reason enough, not to mind how outdated that device is.
Can anyone even think of a currently sold phone that does not have a flash? If one exists it would be a passable idea, but I don’t think anyone who would buy one of these kickstarter devices would have a smartphone which is that low end.
This is kickstarter!? Kickstarter wouldn’t take the idea of that person who made the clips for the $15 PS3 controller mount to some popular phones, but they are accepting this?
Oh well, I guess… It’s not my call. =.S
LG Escape.
Sad since the my Galaxy S had burst shot, but my Galaxy S2 doesn’t. Hmm… Talking about outdated. =.S
I really miss burst shot too. The pictures came out great. =.[
It’s still a great idea. Especially if you are like my family where your old phones are moved down the line to the kids. Brings added ability to our old Galaxy S
Yeah, its a dated product, but his solution to tap into the power is VERY novel…and could very likely be used to charge the battery as well through a wireless charging back cover…. The product itself is limited, but the solution has LOTS of potential.
Still have my GS, just as a backup. This would’ve been nice 3 phones ago.
I would really like this on the G1. It may be old, but I love using it :D
Kickstarter or bust…
like Randy said I’m dazzled that a single mom
able to earn $9638 in a few weeks on the internet. did you look at this web
link jump15.comCHECK IT OUT