No Slippage!
Earlier this month I lost the first gadget of my life. A brand new iPod Touch. Fracking thing slipped out of my pocket in a cab and was gone before I even realized it. After mourning for weeks I knew I needed a better plan for the replacement. I tried to do the honest thing and went to the Apple Store looking for some kind of rubberized thingy what would attach to the iPod and keep it from being so dang slippery but no luck. They have approximately 10 million of those things for iPhones, but not a single one for the Touch. And since they are just slightly different sizes… well forget it. So, what to do. I started thinking about about things I’ve owned in the past that I didn’t lose, and which ones of those were definitely not slippery. The answer was immediately obvious. A skateboard.
I went down to the closest skate shop I know of, which is unfortunately smack dab in a mall, and bought a yard of black grip tape. I point out that I bought the black stuff, not the multicolored or diecut stuff because when I pointed at it in the shop, and said “the black stuff, right there next to the Animal Chin DVD” the kid at the counter said “What DVD?” and I said “Animal Chin” and he said “who?” and I said “Fucking Animal Chin for fucks sakes you work at a skate shop and you don’t know who the hell Animal Chin is what the fuck is this world coming to?” Actually I didn’t say that last bit, I said “the Powell DVD with the asian guy on it, to the left of that” and the kid said “oh.”
So I bought it and took it home to see if this plan is crazy enough to work.
First thing I did was cut out a piece that was about the same size as the iPod Touch. I got three feet of grip tape so I was really hoping I had enough for the job.
That was close. Then I trimmed it down even more.
And with that, I went for it.
In the hour since I did this the iPod hasn’t slipped at all. Actually it hasn’t moved at all. It’s been sitting on my bed without being touched, so perhaps that isn’t the best road test. It definitely doesn’t feel like it’s going to slip, though it might wear a hole in my pocket or sand off my finger prints. It’s not slipping out of my pocket at least. So as far as I’m concerned, mission completed.
Quick Update: It’s been about a week and this keeps getting linked to so I thought I’d update folks on the antislippageness of this mod. So far it works awesome. And it’s not causing nearly the pocket or finger wear I was expecting. Turns out, and I never would have guessed, but a skateboard is way heavier than an iPod which makes it easier to scratch you when you pick it up. The iPod barely resists at all so there’s never any “scratching” going on. So far I’m pretty happy with this.
Another Update: To everyone telling me about other options which I should have tried instead, where the hell were you jerks 2 weeks ago BEFORE I made this blog post showing what I’d already done. Your scary insightful insight would have been very helpful then. Now, not so much. Jerks.
Final Update: Almost a year later I’m retiring the iPod from daily use in favor of the iPhone I just bought. I’m happy to say that no holes were worn in any pockets, and in fact no noticeable damage to pockets at all. This worked out amazingly awesome and if I had tons of cash and resources I would have definitely made these and sold them all around the world and become a billionare off this idea.
42 Comments, Comment or Ping
zzap
Sounds like a good idea. Doesn’t it look a little strange with it stuck to the back, though?
Oct 24th, 2007
Nick
Very nice, great idea! My iPhone slides in & out of my pocket all the time.
Oct 24th, 2007
LNR
Now you can add nail file to its list of capabilities.
Oct 24th, 2007
+ simonas
LNR > wouldn’t that violate Apple’s policy and be considered “untying” the phone?
Oct 25th, 2007
++ Jake
Wouldn’t Astrodeck have fixed the slippy problem without making your iPod into a pocket shredding machine?
Oct 25th, 2007
fatlimey
I’ve used rubber skateboard grip tape on my laptop for years. Harder to find, but kinder on your pockets and bag linings.
Oct 25th, 2007
Smegma
You could also use this to sand your deck.
Oct 26th, 2007
bill gates
You know, you could just use black electrical tape and it probably wouldn’t slip out of your pocket because of the rubber surface of the tape. Then you don’t have rough grip tape scraping your hands up. Plus grip tape is hard to get off stuff.
Oct 26th, 2007
shawn
Consider a fat robber band, but you’ll lose the nail file. You will gain a paper clip slingshot though.
Oct 26th, 2007
mtnrunner
Great way to destroy a new iPod touch! The apple store is not the only place to get a case, you can get rubber, non-destructive, sleeves online now and from other vendors such as Target. I got mine for $9. Hell, you can crazyglue the iPod to a Brick too but would you want to?
Oct 26th, 2007
Ryan muliette
nice touch.
How strange I only just put the Animal Chin DVD on my iPod touch last night. Chin is the greatest skate movie ever made in my opinion. You should have ’shablanked’ him upside the head with your deck.
Ry
16g ipod touch owner
Fave trick: just a plain vanilla frontside air on ramp!
Oct 26th, 2007
dangeross
This idea seems amazing, and I’m glad I read it today I am in the market for a touch. Quick question though. Isn’t the metal backing supposed to disperse the heat that the battey and other internals create? What will this do to prevent that from happening?
Any ideas?
Oct 26th, 2007
topographic
Wow, the mall skate shop carries Animal Chin? I suddenly feel much better about humanity, and not quite as old.
Oct 26th, 2007
Owen Turnbull
good idea, but bloody ugly though
Oct 27th, 2007
easye
Interesting idea. But I have to agree, this is going to destroy a few pair of pants. I’ve used a Speck ToughSkin for my 2nd generation nano for about a year and it works great. It is a tough rubber skin that not only makes it more grippy, but protects it when I inevitably drop it. I checked and they make one for the Touch now. You might want to check out something like this before putting something on your Touch that would be very difficult to “undo”.
Oct 28th, 2007
Antonio Pratas
Well, it’s an original idea, and it definitely works, but the grip tape screws the clothing, and it will scratch the surfaces where you lay your touch, which is not nice :\
Maybe a commercial option is better.
Btw, Bonner may as well be the best name in the whole world
Oct 28th, 2007
Sean Bonner
Thanks! So far I’m really happy with the results. Just updated the post to reflect that.
Oct 28th, 2007
callous
3M makes several rubber-faced grip materials that are high friction and non-abrasive. Under the “3M Safety-Walk” brand name, look for the ones that are non-mineral faced.
It’s sold for footing in wet areas and stairs/ladders, but works great on laptops and other items that you need to keep a grip on.
Oct 28th, 2007
Revo
Dude Animal Chin
Memories
Revo
Oct 28th, 2007
Karissa
FYI, you cannot sand off your fingerprints. I believe the only thing that takes away fingerprints, is Acid, and I don’t mean the trippy kind either.
Oct 28th, 2007
Ben
Oh yeah, well done to those who came out with ‘nice touch’!
It seems like a good idea but I think it looks pretty nasty, and I bet it’s fairly horrible to hold.
Oct 29th, 2007
smartman
how about just using a silicone case off ebay? its prolly just as sticky. douche bag
Oct 29th, 2007
Mitzi
You know, if you just punched a hole in one corner of the device then attached a chain that connects to a metal bracelet around your wrist it would totally eliminate the need for that abrasive grip tape. The chances of you ever losing it again would be pretty slim.
Oct 29th, 2007
Sean Bonner
Oh! Good idea! I have a drill with a half inch bit right here, that should do the trick right?
Oct 29th, 2007
nightlight
nice! now I want to grip everthing with my leftover griptape
Aug 10th, 2008
Matt
Yeah great untill it wears a hole in your pocket for it to fall out the bottom of your trousers along with the rest of you pockets contents!
Aug 14th, 2008
Sean Bonner
Actually it worked out great, no holes or anything!
Aug 14th, 2008
Chris
hmmm….didn’t realize the Touch and the Iphone were different sizes. I recently helped my fiancée’s order an Iphone skin for her Touch, but she lives in another state so I haven’t been able to see how it fits. I’ll have to ask her about that.
Aug 14th, 2008
Chris
Of course, by “fiancée’s” I mean “fiancée”
Aug 14th, 2008
Nick
i think perfect solution to ipod slipping problem would be… get rid of it
Dec 8th, 2008
heh
good idea
Dec 13th, 2008
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