The SmartStar™ Go To AltAzimuth Telescope Mount ("The Cube™") made by iOptron Corp. has been named one of the "Hot New Products for 2008" by the editors of Sky and Telescopes Magazine, the worldwide leading publication in astronomy.
With SmartStar™ Go To and GPS telescopes, star gazing is no longer a hobby reserved only for serious sky observers. Equipped with the most advanced features such as automatic Go To, auto-tracking and GPS, SmartStar™ is a telescope that any novice or beginner can enjoy, at an extremely affordable price. It is especially user-friendly and fun to operate. SmartStar™ is not a telescope in the traditional sense, but a fun gadget to own.
SmartStar™ comes in four eye-catching colors: Astro Blue, Terra Green, Cosmic Orange and Pulsar Purple. Holiday shoppers will be sure to find the perfect color for their gift list.
The editors of Sky and Telescope had this to say about "The Cube" in their November 2007 issue:
"With the overwhelming popularity of GO TO telescopes, it is surprising that a product like the Cube (introductory price $199) from iOptron hasn't come along before now. Thanks to its powerful Go To functions and Vixen-style dovetail connector, observers can now add computerized pointing and tracking to small telescopes for an extremely attractive price.
Powered by eight internally housed AA batteries or an optional AC power supply, the Cube stands 8 inch (20cm) tall and comes with a stainless-steel tripod. The mount, which works in altazimuth mode, is rated for loads up to 7 pounds (3 kg) and available in several eye-catching colors. Options include a GPS module for automatic initialization and several advanced hand controllers with more features and larger databases than the standard 5,000-object list."
"We are very excited about this award from Sky & Telescope. This confirms what many have been saying about The Cube™", comments John Hou, VP Marketing at iOptron.
"Our goal is to provide an experience for people and their families who never would have considered star gazing something they could do", says Hou. SmartStar™ provides fun and education the whole family can share together. "Simply put, SmartStar™ is not a telescope in the traditional sense, but a fun gadget to own", adds John Hou.
SmartStar™ offers three types of telescopes: refractors, Newtonians, and Maktsutov-Cassegrains--all equipped with the award-winning The Cube™ Telescope Mount.
iOptron began selling The Cube™ this Fall with many people intrigued by the concept of a GOTO mount that is affordable and easy to transport. In addition to The Cube™, the SmartStar™-G and the SmartStar™-A (Dual AltAzimuth/EQ Mount) -both with GPS capabilities--will be available at the end of November. A 25 lb. payload mount is also in the works for the more advanced astronomers.
iOptron
iOptron is a global company specialized in the development, manufacturing and marketing of innovative computerized telescopes and cutting-edge imaging products for multiple applications.
The SmartStar™ telescope mounts and telescope systems are the flagship offerings from iOptron. With iOptron's SmartStar™, sky gazing is no longer an activity reserved only for serious astronomy hobbyists. SmartStar™ GO TO and GPS Telescopes are user-friendly, accurate, portable and fun to operate.
iOptron 3D Optical Profiler Systems, Hyperspectral Imaging Systems and Stokes Polarization Imaging Systems are the technology solutions in a number of industrial and biomedical applications such as quantitative surface topography measurement, surface quality inspection; cancer detection, tissue inspection; gas/oil pipeline leakage detection, precision thermography, environmental monitoring, agricultural monitoring, medical screening and remote sensing.