Two Smartphone Gadgets for Travelers

The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well, as companies produce gadgets that wouldn’t exist without smartphones. Or folks traveling with smartphones. Here are two that I think baby boomer travelers will find useful.

A little boy — someone’s grandson? — watches a video using a Keyprop to hold up the phone. Photo from Keyprop.

The first new gadget is pretty ingenious: it’s called a Keyprop. You can use it to prop up your phone so you can read from it, watch videos and or even take selfies (if you download an iPhone app) without having to hold onto your phone.

In the shape of a key — it fits on your key ring so you’ll always have it — Keyprop is made of hard rubberized material and comes in a variety of colors like green, red, blue and black. It fits virtually all smartphones by inserting the prong into the headphone jack.

Of course, you don’t have to be traveling to use a Keyprop, but I find it particularly handy for that purpose. You can prop up your phone on the tray that pulls down from the back of the airplane seat in front of you, or prop it up on an flat surface to take a picture of yourself from a distance farther than arm’s length (with more stability, too).

The latter requires the free KeyCam self-timer app that’s optimized for the iPhone 5. It’s pretty ingenious, too — when you clap, it snaps the picture.

Cost for one of these Keyprops is $12.95 and you can order it here from Integral Design.

Another view of the Keyprop. Photo by Catharine Norton

Another gadget I travel with holds my smartphone up off the floor while I charge it overnight (or any time) while traveling, usually while staying in a hotel.

This gadget holds up your cell phone while you’re charging it. Photo by Clark Norton

I often used to have to lay my phone on the carpet of a hotel room because the only available plugs were on a wall with no surfaces below other than the floor.

This gadget — called a Cell Phone Holder and Charging Station — rests on your charger as it’s plugged into the wall socket and has a resting platform for your phone. It costs $6.99 and you can order it here.