The telescopic XShot camera extender ($29.95) is a simple but “wow” device that allows you to mount your digital camera and then extend it away from you so you can include yourself in the pictures. At conferences, however, the clever device is being used by attendees to raise their cameras above the heads of a crowd or audience to more easily capture footage of speakers onstage or simply get a more interesting view of the room. The XShot 2.0 gives you as little as 9 inches and up to 3 feet of extension.

XShot has also come out with a new device that is equally as useful in a thump-on-the-head “why didn’t I think of that!” way. The XShot iPhone Case ($29.95 ) fits iPhone 3G and 3GS and features a tripod mount to quickly and easily attach your iPhone to a tripod (such as my favorite Gorillapod) — or the XShot Camera Extender — to get the same added functionality as you would with a regular digital camera. The tripod mount isn’t a separate attachment but already built right into the case, which is perfect for me because I always lose extra attachments and peripherals.

Right now, you can only preorder the iPhone case at XShot.com; the new product will be available starting in November. You can also pre-order an XShot and iPhone Case bundle for $44.95.

And rumor has it XShot is coming out with yet another device in the near future — a micro version of its XShot 2.0 that is smaller and lighter, but still highly functional.

What is your current favorite “must-have” gadget?

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Mobile Q4: All Eyes Were on Android, 4G and the Rising Tablet Tide
• Report: A Mobile Video Market Overview
• In Q3, the Tablet and 4G Were the Big Stories

I was looking first and foremost for ease of use, not because I don’t know how to use more robust site building tools such as Dreamweaver but because I wanted to find something that I could recommend to non-programmers and non-designers who needed a simple site up quickly.

Webon is clearly geared toward the personal site, offering a Personal Site kit, a Photo Album kit, a Travelogue kit and a Wedding kit. It also has a drag-and-drop blog creator and builds the blog feature into it’s some of its other options such as the personal site and travelogue. Simple. Really easy to use.

I can definitely see some practical uses for this tool:

1. For clients who really aren’t ready for a full fledged site. When consulting clients about their Internet strategies, I emphasize the importance of having a Web site as the hub of their e-marketing activities, however, some just don’t need a big Web presence. Webon can be that toe-in-the-water solution for individuals, micro-startup companies and small grassroots nonprofit organizations that should have a Web presence but don’t yet have the funds.

2. For projects where I need to throw up a quick site. I’m always coming across the need for a site to demo something – either to potential clients or during presentations. Sure, I can whip something up in Dreamweaver but it does take some time. With Webon, the time it takes to put up a basic Web presence is negligible and the results are basic but very functional.

Webon supports the OpenSocial API so add-ons and widgets are a breeze to embed. This is no longer your plain vanilla site from a rigid site builder. Webon gives you flexibility and an easy way to drop in some bells and whistles. The sites can include RSS feeds which these days is an essential feature for any site or blog.

As I tested it out, Webon allowed me to create multiple sites under my account for free, each with its own URL as myname.webon.com. As with any Web-based site building tool, the site you end up with is only as good as your content and your ability to manipulate the templates, but the ability to manipulate is there if you have the skills. Webon also has a handy Media Manager tool to handle all of your uploaded images and a Backups feature where you can restore your site to a few versions back if needed.

To publish your own domain, you need to upgrade to the Webon Personal Plan. This is the only part that I found downright confusing. If you click on the link to upgrade, the first screen brings you to a dialog box where you can enter your domain name choice before proceeding, but there is no context or explanation as to what will happen once you provide your domain name of choice. Will they register the domain name for you? Will they host the site for you with fees attached?

When searching the site for a pricing page or billing information, it was nowhere to be found. Clicking “Help” at the bottom of the page opened an email to send to their tech support. Clicking “Help” at the top of the page brought me to what must be a Lycos knowledge base because when I searched for “upgrade” and “billing,” the information was clearly not about Webon but more specifically about Lycos mail. I was totally lost.

Other than the major disconnect between a link to upgrade and actual information about what upgrading entails, I must say that my first impressions of Webon are positive. It is everything I hoped it would be and more. Kudos to the developers on this one. Now can someone tell me how much it costs to upgrade and what that’ll give me?

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Green IT Overview, Q2 2010
• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce