I receive a handful of Groupon-type emails every day. I delete most of these sight unseen (I have zero need for laser hair removal, facial peels, and/or Microsoft Excel training). But one of them did catch my eye. Not in a good way, but for its sheer stupidity.
It is a protective case for your smartphone. No big deal, those are pretty common – both on the Groupon sites and elsewhere. A protective case is actually a pretty smart investment for those who have kids, use their phone a lot, or are a known “dropper“. So far, so good.
No, what sets this product apart (and makes it the second stupidest product ever made) is the addition of another tool into the smartphone case: a bottle opener.
We’ve all been there: you’re out with your buddies, enjoying some delicious beverages, but…oh no! This fancy pants craft beer has a pry-off cap*. Never fear, instead of having a $2 bottle opener on my key ring or finding one in a kitchen drawer, I’ll use one attached to my $500 cell phone. Sure, why not use my phone as a lever, exposing it to undo force, liquids under pressure, and my drunken friends? That sounds like a great idea. Maybe when we’re done we can use my iPhone to pound in this loose nail on your basement steps or play a round of disc golf with my Galaxy S III.
*I hate to stereotype, but I’m guessing the primary demographic for this case is not drinking a lot of craft beers or other beverages with pry-off bottle caps. I’d wager the purchasers of this product are quite fond of beers with twist-off caps, such as Bud Light, Miller Lite, and Coors Light.
How a redneck opens a longneck (image from livingsocial.com)
And if the prospect of turning your expensive smartphone into a cheap bar tool is not enough to get you to whip out your credit card, just wait! There’s more:
The bottle opener case comes with a custom app that will count the number of bottles you’ve opened. (“Ossifer, as you can clearly see, this app says I’ve only had three beers. At least that what it showed right before I opened the fourth one and my screen cracked.”)
The app will also play a song when you open a bottle. The LivingSocial deal did not specify what song is played, but I’m guessing it is something by Nickelback or AC/DC.
You can also get your bottle opener case printed with different sports teams logos (because what team doesn’t want to be associated with the brilliant minds who would buy something like this), or you can upload your own image such as the rebel flag, Calvin peeing on something, or a picture of Nickelback.
You’ll notice that I refer to this as the “second stupidest product ever made”. Yes, potentially breaking a $500 smartphone by using it as a bottle opener is pretty dadgum stupid. Yet, this phone case still has a legitimate purpose, as opposed to the Stupidest Product Ever Made, which does not. Sadly, I fear a new contender for the title will come along soon.
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