Crabble: The five dollar stand that fits in your wallet

 

Seskimo's Crabble is a low-cost, cleverly simple phone accessory in a world of pricey cases, complicated speakerphones and unwieldy dongles. The Crabble concept is simple: a foldable stand that props up your iPhone - or other smartphone or personal media player - for handsfree viewing of movies and other media. It's small enough to fit in a wallet when folded, sturdy enough to keep your phone aloft while you watch YouTube videos until your battery runs out, and inexpensive at just $5.99 shipped.

 

Made from polypropolyne with silicone rubber "claws" on its two arms, Crabble won't scratch or mar your device and has decent grip for use on places like airplane or train tables. Two notches on each side of the stand provide support for phones in both landscape and portrait modes, and supports landscape viewing angles from 45 to 80 degrees. 

 

I tested Crabble with an iPhone 3GS, HTC myTouch 3G, and an iPod nano, and it performed like a champ. To be fair, there's not much for Crabble to do but sit there and help your phone sit there, but it did it admirably. Crabble should support your mobile YouTube habit for longer than your battery will, and while it's not exactly indestructable, so long as you take care of it it should last awhile. I've only had my review sample for a week or so, so I can't vouch for Crabble's longevity, but I'd bet five bucks on one. My one minor complaint is that when holding your phone Crabble affords very little clearance below its bottom edge, so you can't plug chargers or other cables in. But you can when your device is in landscape orientation.

Crabble's available for $4.99 plus one dollar for shipping - or free shipping on orders of $5 or more - direct from Seskimo. And, oh yeah, it comes in black, white, and orange.