BelfieStick & 7 Other Silly Smartphone Accessories
From the BelfieStick to a speaker that looks like a 1980s-era cassette tape, InformationWeek looks at the truly silly in smartphone accessories. Dumb? Yes, but we love them anyway.
![](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt69509c9116440be8/blt82edf8549c45925a/64cb5714ca5c82edda1ff809/intro.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Earlier this month, InformationWeek looked at those parts of technology that we just love, which included everything from crazy robots, to video games, to enterprise apps. Now, before the month is up, we're highlighting smartphone accessories we think are just as silly, if not sillier than the BelfieStick.
For those of you who know the BelfieStick, you're welcome.
For those that don't, the easiest way to describe it is as a sign of the end of civilization. It is a stick that allows you to take a butt selfie. Yes, a butt selfie, which is exactly what you think it is. You take a picture of your hindquarters looking oh so fine. Of course, unless you've got really long arms, most people can't take a picture of their own rear end. The easiest way is to get a friend to help, but that wouldn't be a s(b)elfie anymore. The second easiest is to use a mirror, but presumably the makers of the BelfieStick don't think the people who take belfies are smart enough to handle the angles of that. Maybe they think the reason you are taking the picture is you have no mirror and you want to see what your derriere looks like.
At any rate, believe it or not, this may not be the funniest smartphone accessory for sale in America today. The BelfieStick actually does, in fact, do a job. And it is can be used to do other similar jobs like knocking things off tall shelves or reaching around to scratch your back (or backside). The fact that people want to take belfies isn't the fault of the stick.
We've gathered potentially more useless, if not more silly accessories. They look all the more silly considering that this week we covered the fact that smart phones are now being used to power accessories that provide AIDs tests, detect heart disease, and help monitor blood sugar. We suggest you read the list of silly accessories first, and then, if you need to cleanse you pallet, you can go over and read about the serious uses. Doing it the other way around might drive you to drink.
But rest assured, if you are driven to drink, we have an accessory to prevent you from driving drunk. Check out the list, tell us your favorites, and then post any similarly useless accessories you've seen. And, if you actually have a good accessory, share it with us, too.
You have to start with the champ. This is the most safe for work picture we could find of the BelfieStick. As you can see, it is a stick. Just as advertised. One could replicate this product with a branch and some chewing gum. Nonetheless, it has sold completely out. Once you get past the feeling that the end of days are upon us, you've got admit it will give you a smile.
(Source: BelfieStick)
Sadly, the aura ball doesn't seem to exist anymore as evidenced by the phone it is attached to in the picture. But I love this. You can now find an app that can read your aura. How far aura technology has come in the last few years! Personally, I think the ball is better than the app as its energy fills the room. Granted, it is probably eerie when it turns all black right before you yell at someone because the person asked you for a belfie.
(Source: SolidAlliance via oddee.com)
Personally, I think the GP Holder should be called the TP Holder because that is what it does. It holds your toilet paper and your smart phone. You know, for all those times you bring your phone into your bathroom. You watch movies in the bathroom, don't you? Admit it. And you text. And you play Candy Crush. Well, if you do, this will hold your phone while you do it so you don't drop it in the wrong place.
(Source: GP Holder via Kickstarter)
The Breathometer is one of those products with a serious side and a funny side. The Breathometer Breeze measures your alcohol consumption and tells you if you are safe to drive. I'd like to think people have more self-awareness than that, but I won't make fun of drunk driving. The funnier side is Breathometer Mint. Mint tests your "breath quality" and hydration. It tells you how good your oral hygiene is based on your mouth bacteria. In other words, it tells you how well you brush your teeth. The funny part is the tracking app so you can see every day just how much your breath stinks or how dehydrated you are. Now look, I'm not making fun of oral hygiene or dehydration. But an actual smartphone device to tell you that you aren't flossing enough? Don't you have a dental hygienist for that? And do I really need an app to tell me I'm thirsty? Still, points for a beautiful design and for inspiring healthy teeth.
(Source: Breathometer via Indiegogo)
This is by far my favorite on the list. The iRecorder Cassette Deck Speaker is yet another smartphone speaker. The difference is that this one is awesomely silly. It looks like an old school cassette deck, the kind you used to sing along with back in the day. The best part is the company guarantees it won't eat your tapes. I only wish it came with a pencil in case it did. Remember having to rewind cassette tapes with a pencil? No? Am I showing my age? Yes. OK. I'll stop.
(Source: iRecorder via Thinkgeek)
Right up there with the whoopie cushion is the iPrank Cracked Screen Sticker set. You put them on someone's phone and they think their screen is broken. Get it? Neither do I. Though I am actually amused by the idea of putting them on my own phone. I don't think it is security as suggested, but they work as a screen protector. And right up until I want to watch a movie, I would find it amusing to have people think I destroyed my phone. Worst part: When you actually crack your screen and don't realize it.
(Source: iPrank via Thinkgeek)
Personally, I'd prefer a sea shell or a soup can, but the craziest iPhone case I've ever seen is this rock case by Joyce Bless. Why a rock? So if someone tries to take it you can beat the robber with it? So you can take one of most beautiful pieces of technology ever designed and hide it inside a fake stone? To become one with pretend nature? I don't know, but I love it anyway. Maybe it will keep it from bending in your pocket.
(Source: Joyce Bless via wheretogetit.com)
-
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like