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MagSafe compatible active-wear accessories

Not just for Apple users!
  (+2, -1)
(+2, -1)
  [vote for,
against]

Current belt clips for smartphones suck. You've got an already-huge phone, and nearly every belt clip I've come across requires a proprietary fitted case be attached to the phone. That means every new phone you get, you HAVE to get a new case for it, made by the same manufacturer as the clip. There are a few cheap, poor quality universal clips available that are adjustable to any size you might need... but you still have to fumble with it to get the phone in and out, and SPEAKING FOR MYSLEF, I really quite hate them. Same goes for exercise arm-bands. They suck.

So the idea is for a MagSafe compatible line of belt clips and armbands, that's it. A roughly 2-inch diameter magnetic disc mounted on a belt clip or an armband, the same thickness as the ones found in car mounts (1/4-1/2 inch).

If Apple products aren't your thing, and you're turned off because MagSafe is an Apple product, notice my use of the term *MagSafe compatible*. There are third-party cases and stick-on rings for Android phones as well, which are fully compatible with MagSafe mounts. I have one on my Samsung S23 Ultra.

21 Quest, Mar 05 2023

Patent from year 2000 https://patents.goo...tent/US6888940B1/en
Well before magsafe, mentions belt clips [a1, Mar 05 2023]

ESR wallet https://www.kicksta...t-with-full-find-my
Look at the finger-loop [a1, Mar 15 2023]

[link]






       Sounds great but there might be prior art. Did you intend this as just a phone “holder” or were you going to stash a battery pack in it also?
a1, Mar 05 2023
  

       That thought had occurred to me, and I expect there would be a more expensive version that offered wireless charging by incorporating a power pack. Regarding the prior art, I didn't get particularly extensive with my searching, but I looked in the categories on the HB that came to mind as likely places to find it, and I searched for it on Google and Amazon and didn't turn up anything.   

       Edit: I realize I somehow neglected to include the words "line of" between compatible and belt clips in the middle paragraph.
21 Quest, Mar 05 2023
  

       I just did my own search and as expected found a lot of magnetic mounts - for handgrips, for cars, for desks, you can even by bare magsafe-compatible mounting rings to glue to a wall…   

       BUT no belt clip magnetic phone mounts!   

       So good on you [+]. But may I play devil’s advocate here? What’s the downside? Why aren’t these already commonplace?
a1, Mar 05 2023
  

       If I had to guess, it would probably be a perception that the magnetic grip isn't strong enough to rely on for such use. But I've driven over some pretty nasty speed bumps and potholes, shaken the everloving shit out of my car and everything else in it, as well as taking some pretty high-G turns at speed, and haven't gotten my magnetic vent mount to drop my phone even once. It holds my phone more securely than any spring-loaded caliper type holder I've ever used. I think they're just plain underselling the utility of it.
21 Quest, Mar 05 2023
  

       Lack of grip was my first thought also. I know a lot of people use belt clips, but I’m not keen on them myself - maybe the market is too small?   

       Anyhow, you should buy some existing magnetic mount and cannibalize it to make yours. I think you have a winner here.
a1, Mar 05 2023
  

       Interesting... It wouldn't have worked as intended in the patent idea. A magnet strong enough to adhere to the innards of the phone itself would likely wipe the drive, and would've been really heavy. If only he'd thought of attachable metal plates... He'd have really been onto something. He was so close!
21 Quest, Mar 05 2023
  

       Alternatively, manufacturers could stop making table-top-sized phones, & go back to ones that actually fit in your pocket. The best phone I've had was a 4.5" screen.
Er, rant over...
neutrinos_shadow, Mar 05 2023
  

       I don't have any problem with mine not fitting in my pocket. My problem is I always have a bunch of other crap in my pocket, and it's difficult to remove the phone without dumping other things on the ground that get dragged out by the raised lip on the edge of the case.
21 Quest, Mar 05 2023
  

       Maybe you need a mag-safe compatible other crap clip.
a1, Mar 06 2023
  

       That just sounds like the same thing but with extra steps Jerry.
21 Quest, Mar 06 2023
  

       Not quite the same thing, but look at the ESR wallet that just showed up on Kickstarter (link), specifically the finger-loop on the back of it. Maybe all you need is a magnet and a belt loop instead of clip?
a1, Mar 15 2023
  
      
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