The following article appeared in the Glasgow Evening Times on Saturday 19th November 2011. Written by Rachel Loxton.
It's the must-have accessory which Hollywood's finest are desperate to get hold of. Oscar winner Tom Hanks has even put his order in.
And a Clydebank family firm is celebrating after manufacturing the innovative smartphone device.
European Circuits was approached to help manufacture and package POPA, a brand-new gadget which turns iPhones into instant cameras. The lightweight accessory, which was created by Manchester-based Beep Industries, slots into the base of an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S. A large red button then transforms the smartphone into an instant camera.
It costs £49.99 and a free app to drive the device is available from Apple's App Store.
European Circuits, which tripled its size and doubled its workforce just over two years ago, is building 5,000 of the gizmos and has just sent out the first batch of 1,000 to the shops.
Busines Development Manager Philip Briscoe, 35, says the project could create around £200,000 to contribute to an annual turnover of just over £2 million. He said "The staff are really excited about the finished product. We've been testing it out and everyone is really happy with it. And now we've heard that Tom Hanks is interested. We can't believe we're making something that he is going to use. The first batch has just been sent out to the distributors along with 50 specially ordered, numbered limited editions."
The company is based at Clydebank Industrial Estate and was launched in 1999 by Philip's brother, Mark, 43, and their Dad, Bill, 72. Mum Pam, 65, is also one of the company's 35 employees. The family are from Bearsden.
The firm also manufactures printed circuit boards for Formula 1, aircraft supplier WASP and fireworks firm EasyPyro among others.
The POPA project was part-funded through Kickstarter, an online funding website for the creative industries. It was through this website that A-lister Tom Hanks discovered the gadget.
Brendan Dawes, creative director and owner of Beep said: "We received an email from Tom's PA in LA asking how he could get his hands on one. We thought it was a joke to start with but we've been assured it really is him. He has ordered one and that will be sent to him next week."
Another west of Scotland firm, Inchinnan-based product development company Meso, designed the device.
Brendan said the POPA was inspired by his dad, John Dawes. He said: "My father was a professional sports photographer his whole working life and he taught me the importance of never missing the moment. The POPA design is so simple and means you can just whip out your phone and take a picture. Everyone who uses it says it feels like a camera and that's exactly what we wanted to achieve."
He added that work is currently under way to create an Android version for other phone brands.
For more information on where to buy POPA, click on the link for the Beep Online Shop.