Gear

This $10 Plastic Disc Saved My Phone From Toddler Hands

And saved me hundreds of dollars on screen repair services.

by Matt Tobey
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Pop Sockets

If your family is like mine, your kids’ eyes have never met the corrupting glow of an LCD screen. Books, Tiddlywinks, and radio dramas are all they need to keep themselves occupied and harmonious. Psyche. Of course my kids use tablets and phones, and of course the tablets and phones slip through their tiny hands and onto the floor, promptly smashing the screen. My kids have managed to drop the thing more times than I can count. I’ve replaced enough Kindle Fires that I should have bought stock in Amazon.

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But the days of spiderweb cracks are behind me, and not because my kids grew up. Rather, it’s because I stuck these grippy Pop Sockets onto the backs of their tablets.

Pop Sockets are dead-simple little doodads. They’re inch-and-a-half wide plastic discs that extend from the back of your phone or tablet. Once attached, they provide little hands with an actual handle to grab onto and a convenient stand to help prop up the device. Even better, they collapse flat against the back of the phone when not in use. So apart from the added flair ⏤ they come in a ton of colorful designs to match your personality, or case ⏤ you’ll hardly notice it’s there when closed.

Pop Sockets attach with a very strong adhesive, so you don’t have to worry about one coming loose or falling off. You do, however, have to be careful about placing it exactly where you want it when you first stick it on ⏤ the glue is meant for a single use. That said, it’s still pretty sticky and there are plenty of videos online that will show you how to reposition it if you screw up. Then again, at only $10 a pop, why not slap a few on? It makes no sense to live on the edge with an $800 phone. You may not be able to save your kids’ brains from the ubiquity of technology, but you can at least save their screens from the pavement.

Buy Now $10

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