Holiday Buyer's Guide 2006, Part 7: More Mobile Stuff

Rivet Wrap Sport

When we first unpackaged the Rivet Wrap Leather Sport, we were totally mystified. We found ourselves asking questions like: "What is it, and what does it do?" At first blush, and without the original product packaging, it appeared to be a lonely accessory separated from some unidentifiable electronic device. The silver clasp is very distinctive, and features a heavy-duty carabiner-like latch mechanism. It appeared to be a quality (and perhaps an expensive) item, but in terms of what it did, we were stumped!

After some cogitation and head-scratching, we soon figured out that the Rivet Wrap is actually a phone carrier of sorts, with a rather unconventional design - so the missing component was in fact a cell phone!

The Rivet Wrap's patent-pending Grip It technology uses an elastic inner band that coils the black leather-bound sheath tightly enough around your mobile phone to secure it even while you're active. Your humble reviewer, for example, owns a Nokia 7610 smartphone endowed with a simple, rectangular shape. This phone slides in and out of the Rivet Wrap easily, but without any directly-applied forces at work, the phone stays put even when the Rivet Wrap gets knocked around all over the place. We imagine it might wiggle loose under extremely rigorous activity - say, mountain biking across rugged terrain - but we cannot imagine why anyone might engage in such activity with a side-holstered cellphone anyway.

The Rivet Wrap is stylish enough to accompany a messenger bag or notebook case. It's available in small and medium sizes, in both Sport and Executive trim with optional white stitching. If you can find one for sale, we have also seen a black Sport edition with red stitching and details.

The Rivet Wrap retails for around $25.00, making it an ideal stocking stuffer for that special someone on your gift-giving list. To avoid confusion, though, be sure to attach a note explaining that it's a phone accessory! If you can't find Rivet Wrap products, go to the company's website at www.rivetnow.com/.