Mobile Technology

iPhone 6 Plus screen too big? Not with the Thanko Thumb Extender!

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Thanko's thumb extender - 15 valuable millimetres of extra reach.
Thanko's thumb extender - not recommended for any other use
Thanko's thumb extender - precision tapping knob
Thanko's thumb extender - precision tapping knob
Thanko's thumb extender - 15 valuable millimetres of extra reach.
Thanko's thumb extender - 15 valuable millimetres of extra reach.
Thanko's thumb extender - 15 valuable millimetres of extra reach.
Thanko's thumb extender - 15 valuable millimetres of extra reach.
Thanko's thumb extender - 15 valuable millimetres of extra reach.
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Got a new iPhone 6 Plus or Galaxy Note phablet? You're probably loving the extra screen real estate. Phones may have become bigger, but the human body hasn't got the memo yet – our fingers and thumbs are the same stubby, inconvenient length as ever. But fear not! The Thanko thumb extender gives you a whopping 15 mm (0.59 in) of extra reach.

When Samsung's Galaxy Note first launched, it looked absolutely comically gigantic, but users loved its extra screen real estate for apps, games, photos and web browsing. With the release of the iPhone 6 Plus, Apple has embraced the trend and joined the party.

Sadly, human physiology hasn't got the memo yet, and for those with smaller hands, using a 6 Plus or a Note Phablet can be an exercise in thumb yoga.

Thanko's thumb extender - 15 valuable millimetres of extra reach.

Leave it to the Japanese to devise a solution. For just 1,480 yen (US$13.56) you can buy the Thanko thumb extender, which extends the reach of your thumb by a whopping 15mm (0.59 inches), packs a precision tapping knob on the end of it, and actually looks like a thumb.

This type of technology could be greatly expanded – one of these for each finger could dramatically improve a pianist's reach, or help size-challenged basketballers to palm a ball in one hand. It's clearly a winner.

Enjoy the demo video below, if mainly for its overly dramatic soundtrack.

Product page: Thanko.

View gallery - 8 images
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5 comments
Chizzy
its a finglonger! here let me show you the lengths of wire i used to make my finglonger.
asdf
Stylus anyone?
John Osmand
omg, this is great. the world is a better place.
StWils
For those users that have a hard time using the tools they already have and actually buy this Piece o' Cr, I can suggest a place to use as a holster
David Storfer
I guess we couldn't wait until April 1st to print this article. I can believe this is real.