If you're always on the lookout for a cheap DIY solution for propping up your phone it doesn't get much cheaper than this: a phone stand made from a free pizza box support.
Over at the gadget and accessory blog Coolest Gadgets they reviewed a plastic iPhone stand called 3Feet and compared it, off hand, to using a pizza box support as an impromptu stand. "Pizza box support?" I said, while ambling in the kitchen hoping I hadn't thrown away the box from last night's pizza. Pizza box support indeed!
I washed it off and put my phone on it. It supported the phone fine but the angle was a little steep and the leg in front blocked the screen. Three snips with a pair of needle nose pliers later and the front leg was out of the way and the back legs were short enough to adjust the screen angle. Here's a shot from the back:
It's super cheap, props my phone up great, and saved me from buying a stand or charging dock to tilt my phone to a more glance-friendly angle on my desk. The only thing I'd do differently (and I just have to wait to order another pizza to try it) is reverse the front/back orientation of the triangle. I originally thought the two legs in back would be necessary to support the phone properly but in reflection it would make more sense to have the two legs in the front to stabilize the bottom of the phone (instead of the back where one leg would be sufficient).
In a DIY dock building mood? Check out our previous article Nine DIY Docks for Your Non-iPhone for more ideas.