Fund this: Keyprop adds a smartphone stand to your keychain
Assuming your keys always go where you go, now you'll always have a way to prop up your phone for reading, watching, video-calling, and self-portraits.
In my ideal universe, all meals are pizza, all pizzas make you lose weight, and every smartphone comes with some kind of kickstand.
That's because I like to read or watch videos while eating my magical weight-loss pizzas. Alas, very few phones can be propped up at comfortable viewing angles -- not without some kind of DIY stand.
Or this: The Keyprop is a smartphone stand that rides shotgun on your keychain. Or it will, if developer Alison Wong raises enough funds.
The Keyprop looks like your average plastic key, save for two small "teeth" that protrude from the bottom. The smaller, rounded one fits into the headphone jack of most smartphones, thus enabling the Keyprop to, well, prop it up in a horizontal orientation. Your keychain acts as a base of sorts, and lets you make minor adjustments to the viewing angle by stacking your keys.
The larger, flatter tooth can slide into an iPhone 5's Lightning port, a smart concession to the newer design -- and one that allows you to use headphones at the same time.
According to Wong, the Keyprop works with most smartphones, though not every model allows you to angle the screen in both directions (i.e. facing upward for viewing or downward for using the rear camera). The Samsung Galaxy S3, for example, is "too sloped" at the rear, and therefore can't be propped up for camera use.
The whole self-portrait thing is the other ace up the Keyprop's sleeve: an included KeyCam app lets you set a countdown timer for snapping photos, and has a "clap-to-snap" mode for manually activating the shutter from afar.
The Kickstarter project has 25 days to go, and Wong is currently just shy of the 20-percent mark on her $30,000 funding goal. By pledging as little as $15, you can get a Keyprop in your choice of six colors. Wong hasn't settled on final pricing yet for the retail market, but expects it to be below $20.
Though I have concerns about how well my keychain would work as the Keyprop's base, I'm definitely intrigued by the idea -- and frequently wishing for exactly such a way to prop up my phone. For 15 bucks, I may just roll the dice.
Your thoughts? Have you found any other travel-friendly smartphone stands, whether for your keychain, your wallet, or your case? Share your favorites in the comments.