texthook

I was recently asked to try out texthook, a holder for your phone that’s designed to attach to your stroller handlebars, your treadmill, your bicycle, etc. Basically, it holds your phone so your hands are free. The holder will rotate 180 degrees so you can swivel the phone around to see it from another angle. I have a stroller…and a treadmill…but I was excited to try texthook out somewhere else – on a grocery store cart.

Saturday I went and did my big bi-monthly shopping trip at Walmart and Costco. I only had the baby with me but it was Saturday so that’s about as bad as having all four kids with me on a weekday. I find Saturday shopping intense and not preferred. I loaded me grocery list into Grocery IQ (the app I’ve bee using the most lately for grocery lists) and then strapped the texthook to the shopping cart. I wasn’t quite sure how it’d work because the handlebar on the carts at Costco and Walmart aren’t perfectly round. The texthook fits on top of the handlebar and then you attack it with velcro, wrapping around the bar until it’s on their nice and snug. It should stand upright but because of the funny shape of the handlebar it actually lay back towards the child seat. This turned out to be a better set up for me because it was a nice angle for viewing and tapping on my list. I made sure everything was strapped down and off we went to fight through the crowds. I have to say that it was wonderful not having to carry my phone. Normally it’d be in my hand or pocket or set right on top of the groceries. I know, that’s just asking for someone to walk off with it. When I want to use it I’ve got to pick it up and then put it back. When it was attached to the handlebar it was right in front of me and I knew it wasn’t going anywhere. I wasn’t worried about anyone taking it either. Lying back it wasn’t very noticeable and I don’t think someone would have time to undo the Velcro before I noticed what was going on. What I didn’t like about this setup was when I got a phone call in the store I couldn’t get to my phone. I don’t have a Bluetooth headset so I’ve actually got to talk into my phone when I want to talk on the phone. If I’d had a headset this wouldn’t even be an issue. I know that I need to get one for the car but I don’t want to use it in the store and look like a crazy lady wandering talking to myself. Some people can pull this off. I have enough other things about me (four kids, one with reflux, ‘nuff said) that scream “crazy lady”, I hesitate to add one more.

I also tried the texthook out on my stroller and my treadmill and it fit and worked there just fine. Personally, I’m not sure when I’d use it on my stroller. I don’t take my stroller shopping and when I take my phone with me for a run I’m only using it for emergency purposes. But if you’re a stroller shopper and need access to an app or want your phone around but not in the way this holder would be good for that. With my treadmill I can see myself attaching texthook to it if I had a Bluetooth that would allow me to listen to my music. I wouldn’t be taking phone calls, no one wants to listen to my panting and gasping as I catch my breath. But music is essential. If the texthook could rotate into landscape mode I could also see myself using it to hold my phone while I watched a movie. But it doesn’t do that, at least not yet. Maybe that will come with future models.

Overall, I was surprised and pleased with texthook and it’s usefulness. I wasn’t worried about it falling off and it’s easy to get the iPhone in and out.  I am absolutely going to continue using it on my grocery shopping trips. It is one more thing to have to bring with me to the store but being able to use my grocery apps and have both hands free to wrangle kids makes up for the extra item in the diaper bag. 

*texthook is compatible with many other phones besides the iPhone.

Texthook retails for $25.99 and is available at amazon.com. You can visit the texthook website to check availability at local stores.

For more information visit www.thetexthook.com

Disclosure: I received a free texthook for review purposes.