I got to play with an near-finished version of the device, and I was impressed. It'll take virtually any phone (as long as it's under 11mm thick), since the dock is basically a vice — just crank it until your phone's snugly in there. The camera moves side-to-side automatically, and pans up and down using controls on the remote. If you're using an iPhone, there's some cooler technology at work: the company developed an iOS app that lets you start and stop recording with the remote control. A similar app for Android devices is in the works, and Swivl has plans to expand the apps' capability over time.

As I chatted with Swivl founder Brian Lamb in the Verge office, we passed the remote back and forth and the camera followed us easily. There are two speed modes: one that moves really fast but is fairly jerky, and one that's a little smoother but a bit slower. It generally worked really well, though there were hangups: if I moved the remote too quickly the dock seemed to lose track of it, and I had to wave it around before the dock found it again. Generally it seems like a perfect solution for the heavy video chat user: it elevates the camera and gets rid of the double-chinned angles FaceTime users probably know well, and the motion makes the resulting video look a bit more produced as well.

Check out the gallery and video below, and if you're interested in a Swivl you can pre-order now for $159 before it starts shipping early next year.