Back in May when I went to the National Stationery Show, I saw a few products that I?didn't?mention in my write up, and this simple, but cool mobile phone holder was one of them. ?It was at the Kikkerland booth, where they also had the Writersblok Bamboo Notebooks that I've written about in the past.
The basic idea with the phone holder is that it gives you a mini portable shelf to place your phone on, and wrap the cord around while you are charging it. It is made of a light weight plastic and surprisingly also made in the US. I picked up the red version because it was cheapest, but there are plenty of other colors available too. The phone or any other small mobile device sits on the platform, while the cord wraps around the skinny part behind the platform, and the plug itself goes through the large hole and acts as a hook to hang the whole thing on.
My experience with the charging station was slightly mixed. Because of the shape of my plug (thin with rounded corners) I had to do some considerable fiddling to get the whole thing to hang on the plug without sliding off. Additionally, because the cord is a bit stiff, I also had some trouble getting it wrapped around the base while leaving enough room for the phone on the shelf. Once I got used to it though, it was not too hard to set it up when I needed to. I think that because my phone (the HTC Thunderbolt) is pretty heavy at 4.6 ounces, that is one additional thing that contributed to the difficulties in keeping the entire unit from sliding off the plug, but again, I did kind of get used to putting things in the exact right place to keep it all working properly.
This is one of those products that can be really convenient and helpful, but it is also something that just may or may not work well with whatever phone, MP3 player or other portable device you have. Luckily at only about$6-$8, the expense is not that great so if it doesn't work perfectly for you it isn't a huge loss. If you are looking for something to help reign in the myriad of wires and clutter in your home or at your desk, this mobile phone holder is definitely worth a try.
