Even if you don’t know what a PopSocket is, you’ve seen one. Those things that look like doorknobs from a 1990s hotel dresser stuck to the back of everybody’s phone? Those are PopSockets.
You put the PopSockets case on your phone, then you pull the knob out to extend it, and you slip the stem of the knob between your fingers as you hold onto the phone. It provides a steady, secure way to hang onto your phone, even if you’re a complete fumble-fingered.
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After taking over the smartphone market, PopSockets has turned its goal of world domination toward the Amazon Kindle. They’ve introduced the PopCase Kindle, which is on sale now.
Kindle PopCase (opens in a new window)
one-handed reading
These Kindle cases with built-in PopSockets Grips are, for now, only 11th- and 12th-generation Kindles are compatible with the cases.
Having a PopSocket on the back of a Kindle gives you a more secure way of holding or propping up the Kindle with one hand. I could see that being a boon for long reading sessions, since you could switch off between hands as one gets tired.
Holding the PopSockets-less Kindle with both hands constantly gives neither hand any relief. From all the times I’ve spent using a tablet for long, I get sick of holding it up in the air with both hands for long.
For those who don’t want to go the full-case route, you can buy a standalone PopSockets Grip that attaches magnetically to the back of a bare Kindle. These you can also attach to Kindles older than the 11th generation, which don’t have cases and, I’d imagine, probably never won’t, given these devices’ age.
One of my biggest issues with the smartphone-mounted PopSockets—that they make it hard to stash a phone in a pocket, since it gets caught on the pocket’s rim—is a non-issue with a Kindle.
If you find your arms tiring from long sessions reading on your Kindle, give PopSockets a look.
Kindle PopCase (opens in a new window)
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