Cheap and Quick Portable iPhone / PMP stand

I travel quite a bit and have always been searching for stands for whatever PMP (personal media player) / iPod / PSP / iPhone or whatever gadget I'm currently using to watch movies while flying. the catch is the stands have to be small and easy to transport and still work well.

I tried the business card one, some origami ones and some other mediums (I had cut one from plastic) but they all were either too involved to recreate midair or not sturdy enough to hold the thing at the right angle.

I happened to have a hotel room key in my shirt pocket and mangled it into something that I now find myself dependent upon for my iphone holding needs. I like the fact that I can reuse something for another purpose and hey, they're free! It works well in coach as well as first class and haven't hit any turbulence rough enough to unsettle it. :D


Quick little update:  Lots of emails and feedback on this little concept!  I've added some bends to accomodate my new blacberry, I mainly use that as a stand at work . I see others have added bends as well as well as even making a nice dock!  awesome. 

Honestly, I know it's really simplistic, but sometimes those are the best ideas.  I have used these on every one of my flights for my iphone while watching movies and I tell you it's the best traveling stand, because it's handy, easily replaceable and basically free!   

Step 1:

First off make sure you have a hotel room key. I usually have mine from my recent stay still with me, but once you make one of these you can keep it with you are reuse it over and over again. any plastic card wil work too, those fake credit card junk mail things you get would work great too.

Comments

[v12vanuish]

Sir, you have effectively killed the IPhone/Ipod Touch stand market . How do you feel ? :D

[pipseer]

Hi Again!! I already commented a couple years ago about how WOW this was but now, my plan expired and I got a new phone with the charger on the bottom. My old Samsung Epic had the charger at the top which made this the most EXCELLENT ELEGANT solution I'd ever seen. Got any ideas - other than laying the phone on it's side - to allow for portrait charging with a charger at the bottom? Once again, you should win the prize for cheapest, easiest, most tool-free, simple, elegant phone stand in the history of phone stands! You rock!!!!

[aflacpyro267]

this is the best iphone stand i have ever seen!!!!!!!! awesome!!!!!

[baggy481]

This was a great idea. I needed a stand for my samsung mezmerize so I came to good old Instructables, and yours was the easiest to make, the most versatile, and it works great. Thanks for this!

[joey7869]

This is a wonderful little project. I have HUNDREDS of room keys and this is a great project!

[pipseer]

WOWIE WOW WOW WOW! Just in time to keep me from going bald yanking out my hair trying to make something SIM-PLE!!!!!!!! And for those that break their cards, just pass them over a candle, warm them up a bit, and you can bend them back on top of themselves if need be. And it really helps for thicker units.

Hey Tobes: just super glue two of them together...that's what I had to do for my Epic 4G Android cell phone. Too tall was exactly the problem but superglue (and some strapping tape for insurance) did the trick...- 'course, it's not as simple as yours, but just a help for those bigger, thickerer units.

They ought to have a contest for the BEST, SIMPLEST INSTRUCTABLE. On second thought, ...you already won it!

THANK YOU Nylanan!!!

[steelnix]

Awesome...took me a minute sitting at my desk to fold up a card...

[akoutdoors]

took a minute? he did his in "2 seconds". come on and try to keep up. LOL JK

[innrgeek]

MY ADDITION!

I also added a small strip of duct tape to the bottom of mine (under the base)  This allows me to set a more precise angle of the stand and also allows me to use the card longer once the bends get weak by stabilizing it.

the duct tape can also be unattached and stuck to the card for easy flat-wallet storage and reuse! ;-)

[akoutdoors]

thumbs up for you innrgeek. making something that is one of the best ideas on here even better.

[wepst]

cheap, easy and works!

[brum]

great idea, thanks, whiped it up then and there using a library card.

[vcmaes]

Keeping it simiple. Cheers.

[beastycrum]

This is one of the easiest and best instructables! I have been looking forever here and could't find a stand that is both cheap and easy but you helped me a lot! I give this a 1000000 out of 1000000 stars! : )

[Kirbsome!]

Love it!

[sjoobbani]

 I can;t believe this.
abolutly amazing
wow
wow
wow

I've been looking for something like this for my ZuneHD
wow. t
tahnk you.
:D 
5STARS!

[Nautilus34]

OH MAN THIS IS PERFECT!! i have about a dozen expired gift cards sitting here at my desk. It's so great that I found this, because I was literally moments away from disposing of them. thanks!

[MrLouque]

genius

[lillisa]

This is the greatest thing ever! I made a bunch for friends, cuz I had about half a dozen expired gift cards, discount club cards, etc!!

[josephhortman]

 I also did this while at my computer when i first read it. Awesome! Movie is Run FatBoy Run and Simon Pegg does rule!

[geekazoid]

 *5 Stars* Subscribed. I've tried all sorts of stands for my ipod touch (with case the size of an iphone) and this has definitely worked best. Great idea, nice and simple. Congrats!

[pobturtle]

 This is a very good easy cheap ipod stand. and it works great!!!!

[Sir_Thinks_Alot]

Nice!! I made it without even having to get up!

[pyroman456]

5 stars i thuoght the movie was shuan of the dead

[inZaneinthemembrane]

hahaha is that the movie Hot Fuzz? that movie kicks butt

[possum888]

 Totally agree! :)

[firtvid20]

 A pretty good stand, I made one. Your instructable was featured in the email newsletter.

[Fodaro]

Good sir, I would like to congratulate you on the best stand idea I have ever seen. As soon as I saw this in the newsletter I ran into the next room to get a card. Good one! 

[amakerguy]

It looks like you are in a plane while making it! lol (are you?)

[nylanan]

Yup, I sure am!  I did most of the instructable while I was on the plane if I remember correctly!  In fact I'm still using these, adding or adjusting bends for my blackberry or iphone or whatever I happen to need. 

I've given away quite a few to people sitting next to me that have commented on it!  It's so quick an simple.  and yes there are many nice cases that have stands, and many nice stands.  this happens to be just what I need very portable, very easy to recreate if you lose it.  since I travel so much I have an endless supply of these things :D

[Edgrs]

 I make one from balsa wood, for my friends ipod, but that good for nothing friend of mine broke it on purpose.

[mrmouseboy2]

I made two of these and glued them together and used as a dock or a stand.

[godzillalikespie]

I made one out of an old plastic iTunes gift card

[awesomify]

This is a great idea! I work at a bank, so I grabbed an unused ATM card and it worked perfectly with my HTC Touch Diamond. It has plenty of stability to hold the phone vertically. Thanks!

[tobes]

doesn't work for the 5th generation ipods. they're too tall and wont be supported by the card as it isn't tall enough to stop the ipod tipping backwards and sliding forwards. works when put on its side but that's no good for films. excellent for the iphone tho.

[AnarchistAsian]

ha ha if someone had an iphone, i think they could afford a stand..

[GzrGlide]

Maybe they can't afford a stand because they spent their $$$$ on the phone!!!??? LOL!

[AnarchistAsian]

buh... it's like $2... lol

[Fieldownage]

What's the point buying something that's just like the others have when you could have something that's unique? Besides if you forget your stand when packing stuff for a trip...

[AnarchistAsian]

yeah...