Review: iLoveHandles Barnacle

It never ceases to amaze us the random accessories that people come up with for the iPhone—cases are pretty straightforward, as are most audio-related accessories, along with things to charge your device. Most stands that we’ve seen are some sort of angled, notched item allowing you to have your iPhone on a desk or table. The Barnacle by iLoveHandles is a $5 product that tries to approach the idea of an iPhone stand quite differently.

Upon immediately seeing the Barnacle, you should have an idea of how it works—there are suction cups on each end, attached with the same rubbery material in the middle, forming a slightly angled support that will attach to the back of your iPhone and a smooth surface. The Barnacle is available in a number of colors, including black, blue, green, magenta, orange, white, and a glow-in-the-dark option.

The Barnacle is rather lightweight and small, allowing you to take it just about anywhere with you. The predefined angle is great for using your iPhone as a clock radio or FaceTime. The Barnacle works best when the iPhone is in landscape orientation on a desk, but can also be used as a windshield mount in portrait orientation. Also, the Barnacle will work with most cases that have a smooth, flat surface. In our tests, the Barnacle worked with Belkin’s Grip Candy Sheer, Incase’s Snap Case, SwitchEasy’s Tones, and required some specific placement on Speck’s SmartFlex Card Case and Speck’s CandyShell Grip. If your cases are similar, these tests should provide a good starting point.

Overall, we found the Barnacle to be a simple, inexpensive, and fun option for mounting your phone. Some may want more capabilities or security, but picking one up could always work well to supplement your other accessories.