Last week we brought you the anti-loneliness ramen bowl, a ramen bowl with an iPhone holder integrated into the side so you could slurp noodles and use your phone at the same time. Clearly that wasn't enough for some people because a company has just launched a Indiegogo campaign fund the construction of the UpperCup, a cellphone case with a cup holder.
See Also: --A Ramen Bowl with a Built-In iPhone Holder. Really --The Quaffer Returns: Shot and Chaser In One, Thanks to Arizona State University (Well, Sort of)
The company behind the UpperCup is Amsterdam-based Natwerk, which is described as an "idea factory" -- which seems to be code for "Engineers who sit around growing awesome beards and coming up with wacky ideas." Their plan seems solid though and their marketing is topnotch, just listen to the first part of their jingle, "Drink freely while you tap, without spilling coffee on your lap."
As with the anti-loneliness ramen bowl we do have some serious questions as to phone safety in relation to its proximity to large vats of hot substances that interact poorly with phones. In this case we have to wonder what, if any, advantage this offers in terms of phone safety or say, just putting your coffee on the ground while you use your phone. Surely the designers aren't suggesting you text, walk and precariously balance a molten cup of coffee off the far edge of your $500 iPhone. After all, the dangers of texting and walking are well documented, adding hot coffee too the mix sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Beyond that we can't help but wonder if maybe the designers are showing off their device point the wrong way. Wouldn't it make more sense to point your coffee towards you not away? That way you could retain two-handed control of your coffee/iPhone at all times, even when you're briefly pausing to sip your beverage. Sure you'll look like a goof when you raise your iPhone to your lips to drink, but we'd like to remind you that you're a person with a cup holder on their iPhone.
