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January 26, 2009 10:51 AM PST

Pencil iPhone stand makes a point

by Leslie Katz
Pencil iPhone stand (Credit: Geeky Gadgets)

Hutchinson found that five pencils worked better for the 3G iPhone.

(Credit: Geeky Gadgets)

You could use a gadget like the iFlyz to secure your iPhone while watching a video. Or you could just grab some pencils and rubber bands and be more DIY about the whole thing.

That's what Roland Hutchinson did. The editor of Geeky Gadgets wanted to watch Inauguration Day coverage on his iPhone last week while working on his PC, but was having trouble propping the device up at just the right angle.

So he grabbed some pencils and rubber bands and fashioned an iPhone stand. You're not going to see this thing in Apple stores anytime soon, but it looks like it gets the job done.

Hutchinson notes that a four-pencil contraption works well for the 2G iPhone, but 3G iPhones may require two pencils for horizontal support due to the extra thickness, making a total of five pencils.

We have to admire Hutchinson's can-do spirit. And it's nice to see there's still a use for pencils beyond the third grade.

Leslie Katz, senior editor of CNET's Crave, covers gadgets, games, and most other digital distractions. As a co-host of the CNET News Daily Podcast, she sometimes tries to channel Terry Gross. E-mail Leslie.
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Add a Comment (Log in or register)
by Rita McKee January 26, 2009 12:47 PM PST
Looks to me to be a 5-pencil stand. Maybe it's an optical illusion : )
Reply to this comment
by gregchew January 26, 2009 1:21 PM PST
it's 4 pencils for 2G phone and 5 pencils for 3G phones.. who'd thought that the thinner phone requires more 'support'

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