Turn Your Phone Into A Mobile Microscope!

I bought one of those toy microscopes for my kids before, you know the one that comes in a kit with a telescope too?  I thought it would be fun to explore the ‘underground” of the world we see through a microscope.  

We set it up with such excitement, but somehow, it got put away.  It took up a bit of space and now, I’m afraid, I don’t even know where it is.

But the idea of taking a closer look at things with my kids hasn’t left me, especially when it comes to science experiments.  There is so much of our world to discover, but we need to take the time to explore it.  

A company by the name of uHandy created a mobile microscope that you can take anywhere…and no more need for fragile glass slides to collect your specimens.

uHandy attaches to your smartphone and allows you to see resolution up 200 times magnification.  And with the auto-focus setting on smartphones and tablets, trying to focus your subjects isn’t nearly as tedious as it is with a regular microscope.  Now, you can see the intricate patterns in flowers, leaves, even pollen…whatever interests you.

The Mobile Microscope

The uHandy is so convenient, you can slip it into your purse, backpack…or even pocket and take it with you.  uHandy comes with a support system that you clamp onto your phone.  After installing the support system on your phone, the uHandy mobile microscope  attaches to it.

Besides the on-the-go convenience of a mobile microscope, I love the way you collect samples.  You will receive 108 small stickers with your uHandy mobile microscope.  Use the stickers to collect your samples.  Next, stick your stickers right on the glass stage that comes with the uHandy mobile microscope.

You then attach the stage to the uHandy mobile microscope via its built-in magnets and immediately, the light on the microscope turns on. Now attach it to the support system on your phone and turn on the camera and you can see your sample microscopically.

Although the stage is glass, all the samples you collect are on stickers…no need to worry about glass slides. 

But it gets even better.  The stickers can re-stick.  So after you have viewed your sample, you can stick it in the Collecting Album that comes with your uHandy mobile microscope.  It’s made with re-adherable paper, so you can see your samples again and again.  You can write your what your sample is right above the sticker.  What a cool way to keep track of your finds! 

I love how super handy uHandy makes it to discover nature all around you…and you can re-stick your finds in your collection book.  I started keeping one page just for our very special finds, our favorites.

Here’s what my leaf looks like before I zoomed in on my phone.

This is with 200 magnification.  Up close you can now see the variations in green, but without magnification, the leaf looked like just one color.

But what about water? If you would like to view a drop of water from a pond, you can put the sample directly on the uHandy slide and observe it from your phone, no need to put it on a sticker, since it wouldn’t stick anyways.  There are some very fascinating organisms you can observe by looking at pond water.  uHandy has collected some really neat ones on their Instagram profile.

And the neat thing about using your camera, is you can take pictures AND video of your specimens! No regular microscope allows you to do that!

Want to share your finds? It’s easy, your smartphone already helps with that.  Just pull up the photo and video and share it with your friends on Facebook, Instagram, twitter, and more.

Features:

• The uHandy stage is made from glass, but with no sharp edges
• Comes with 108 stickers to collect samples
• Uses re-adherable stickers to collect samples
• Can view specimen on phone within 1 cm diameter range
• Magnifies specimens up to 200 times, dependent upon device used
• Lens is easy-to-clean with soft cloth
• Mobile microscope to explore on the go
• Comes with a built-in lamp in the mobile microscope to see details better
   
   

Pros:

• Super mobile at only 2.3 oz. – can even take in your pocket!
• uHandy is built so that you can even use a traditional microscope glass slide with the uHandy lens – it’s versatile
• the uHandy stickers can be used to capture your sample and stick on the included Collecting Album to be reused with the uHandy again and again
• A great STEM tool that stimulates curiosity and enriches science exploration
• You can use your phone’s camera to zoom in closer
• Make living pictures by taking video while observing living organisms in pond water
• Can easily share photos/videos with your social networks, using your phone’s inherent camera/photo sharing capabilities
• No app needed! uHandy only uses your phone/tablet’s camera – saving space on your phone

Cons:

• Battery life will last for up to 48 hours.  If it was rechargeable, you wouldn’t need to worry about buying batteries
• You will need to take your phone out of it’s case  so the uHandy system will clamp on
• You can easily lose the pieces (the mobile microscope, the support system for the phone, and the stage, unless you keep them in a box or pouch
• If the item you’re looking at is pretty solid, it will be hard to see anything but color – you need to find things that let light shine through them
• It’s a little pricey

The uHandy mobile microscope comes with the mobile microscope, the mobile clip for your smartphone or tablet, and two batteries.  It is available on the uHandy website for $99 plus shipping.

A Mom’s Perspective

The uHandy microscope is a “handy” way to to see the world more intimately around you.  There’s a whole world to discover and with the uHandy mobile microscope, you can observe the intricacies of nature while in nature…you don’t need to take a sample back into the where a tabletop microscope resides.

Now of course, the uHandy microscope isn’t a scientific microscope, meaning you’re not going to see the magnification of a professional microscope, but at 200 times magnification, you will see a lot.

Using the uHandy mobile microscope with your kids is an adventure in itself.  What are you interested in observing more closely?

* I was given the uHandy mobile microscope in exchange for my honest opinion.  All expressed thoughts are my own.