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.
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.
