Poddities turns your iPhone into a money clip

One of the things I love best about my iPhone is that it single-handedly replaces a bevy of other devices. Alarm clock? Gone. Digital camera and camcorder? Gone. Reward cards? Gone.

Now I can add one more item to the list: wallet.

The Poddities Money Clip for iPhone 4/4S adds a metal clip to the back of your handset, allowing you to keep cash, credit cards, and the like close at hand. It also gives you the option of hanging your phone from your belt or the top of pants pocket.

There are, of course, iPhone cases that have slots for credit cards and whatnot, but most of them add bulk ranging from a little to a lot. The Poddities is about the slimmest solution out there. It can hold up to three cards, according to the manufacturer.

The clip actually screws into the bottom of the iPhone. It comes with a dual-sided screwdriver so you can remove Apple's special "pentalobe" screws and replace them with the pair included in the kit.

Neat idea, but the downside is that your sync cable will no longer lock into the connector (though it will still fit). Plus, the Poddities will preclude your iPhone from working with some dock accessories.

That's kind of a deal breaker for me, though more and more these days I'm using Bluetooth speaker docks, so a physical connection is a nonissue.

Actually, I'd be a lot more inclined to grab one of these if not for the price: $31.60, plus around $13 for shipping from Japan-based Strapya World. (Amazon has the Poddities Money Clip for $29.20, but here shipping adds $18.)

To my cheapskate way of thinking, this is more of a $10 item. That said, it's exactly the kind of thing I'd like to pair with my iPhone, as I hate carrying a wallet around just for cash and credit cards.

What do you think? Have you found a better way of making your iPhone double as a money clip? Would you consider spending nearly $50 for something like this? (Think I can guess the answer to that one.)