There are tons of kickstands and holding rings available for smartphones, from simple nubs to rubber farm animals and everything in between. Some are designed to help you grip your phone, some are designed to let you hang it from a wall, some are designed to help it rest upright, and others cater to a ton of other orientations and needs. With all of that variety, there’s bound to be something highly functional, slick and futuristic-looking. As for where that highly function, slick and futuristic-looking grip ring and kickstand comes from, nobody should be surprised to hear that the answer is Japan. The device is called the Ring O, and it is available on Amazon Japan right now for ¥ 1,998, or about $20.
In its basic form, the Ring O is a simple nub on the back of your phone that you can set it down on to avoid scratches on the back of your device, or wrap your fingers around for grip. The fun starts when you pop out the metal ring. It opens up to a 180 degree angle, letting you put your phone around your finger, on a lanyard or belt clip, or hanging from a nail on a wall, if you so desire. It can also lock at about 45 degrees or 90 degrees so that it can be used as a kickstand or a grip ring while the device is in use. The ring can also rotate 360 around the base, letting you kickstand it at just about any angle, suspend it from practically anywhere, and even hang it at different angles, if you’d like to use it to display pictures on a wall or for a group showing of pictures or video.
The Ring O clings to your phone or tablet via a special adhesive that comes off with water and can be reused. This means that it can cling to just about any phone or tablet with a semi-flat back, even devices with textured backs like the OnePlus One’s sandstone backing or the leather-backed LG G4, though it’s unknown what effects, if any, the adhesive would have on natural materials like wood and leather, so those rocking Toast skins and the like may want to take caution. Likewise, using the ring to secure a waterproof device while in water or to secure a device in extreme humidity or rain is probably a bad idea. Despite the potential flaws, it’s quite the solid device for what it is.
