Necessity, it’s been said, is the mother of invention. It seems some people are willing to go to great lengths to repurpose simple household items into things like laptop stands and, just as the iRac was born from a coathanger, I’m almost certain the inspiration for the Crabble iPhone stand came from an index card.

The Crabble is a very simple, yet effective, iPhone stand, and most attractive in black.

I’ve yet to see a stand for the iPhone that’s as simplistic and inexpensive as the Crabble. Made of a sheet of polyethylene with a crease in the middle and two silicone feet for grip, it’s difficult to imagine a simpler means of supporting an iPhone in either portrait or landscape mode. Because the stand folds in half and is only about as thick as a credit card when laid flat, it easily fits in a wallet, purse, or pocket for portability.

Orange and clear are your other two color choices.

The Crabble is available in three color combinations: solid black with white lettering, translucent clear with white lettering and dots, and translucent orange with orange lettering and dots. Go with the black; it’s by far the most attractive of the three.

The Crabble works in either portrait mode…

Deploying the stand is easy enough—just fold it in half and then adjust the fold to provide the optimal viewing angle for your iPhone. Want the phone to stand more upright? Just spread the stand open a bit. Want the phone at a shallower angle? Pinch the stand closed.

…or landscape mode.

There are plenty of stands out there that are totally incompatible with a lot of iPhone cases. The Crabble isn’t one of them. In fact, you could have just about any case there is on your phone and it’ll still fit just fine on the Crabble stand. Silicone skin-style cases, leather flip cases, plastic shells, no problem—the Crabble still supports the phone at a reasonable angle with no modifications to either stand or case.

Here’s a back view of an iPhone standing on the Crabble.

The Crabble can go just about anywhere, and its compatibility with multiple case designs is a huge plus. It isn’t the most attractive thing in the world, and it’s not really at home in a moving vehicle, especially in a car (train and airplane riders only need apply if the ride is reasonably smooth). But it’s a great way to stand an iPhone up on your desk to watch a video or even to browse the Web, and for five bucks, you’d be hard-pressed to find something better.

Copyright © 2009 Chris Lawson. Reviewing in ATPM is open to anyone. If you’re interested, write to us at reviews@atpm.com.