Americans reportedly receive and send around 88 text messages per day on average, particularly young adults aged 18 to 29 years. And for most of these people they do their texting while on the move. In order to help them with their daily SMS and other smartphone activities without breaking stride, an enterprising Chicago outfit is offering a product for the use of people who often need to text while walking and holding an umbrella. It’s called the Brolly Rain Umbrella.
The Brolly Rain Umbrella
When it is raining (or when the sun is high), one hand needs to hold the handle so that a person does not get wet (or heatstroke) and the other hand is kept free for other tasks such as holding a bag or a parcel. Now, there is an umbrella in the market that allows the user to text, send e-mail, or even play mobile phone games using the umbrella hand and it is being marketed as the “The Brolly Rain Umbrella.”
A potentially very helpful tool
The basic umbrella modification on the brolly enables people holding it to keep the umbrella upright against the rain while typing or tapping out an urgent reply or shout out. It seems that rather than outlawing texting while walking busy streets in rainy weather, people are now being given a handy tool to continue with the possibly dangerous practice. Texting while walking often leads to people hurting themselves from bumping into lampposts, stumbling on curbs and sidewalk cracks, or worse, involving other people in injurious head-on collisions.
The brolly’s unique umbrella grip
The “brolly,” which is what the British actually call their umbrellas, has a handle that has an add-on—four holes very similar to brass knuckle rings that the holder can loop all four fingers through while the thumb is free. This arrangement allows the umbrella handle and stalk to remain in position and the smartphone secure while the thumb is freed for tapping away text messages or like buttons. The holder would not need to curl his or her fingers on the umbrella stalk while trying to manipulate a mobile phone. The black brolly with a green handle is being sold online for $19.95.
For maximum comfort and stability
The unique grip of the umbrella is useful for other things as well. The way by which it conforms to an individual’s hand makes holding the umbrella for its main purpose (protection from rain and sun) maximally comfortable. And when a sudden gust of wind comes without a warning, the holder need not worry about losing a grip on the umbrella because the modified grip could be very stable. The finger holes are lined with material that is squeezable allowing for a comfortable grip in any situation.
Even if the Brolly Rain Umbrella would not be used for texting while walking in the rain, it is still a very practical choice. With the brass knuckles adding security to the standard cylindrical handle, people with ailments such as arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome that could make handling umbrellas difficult will find the implement very useful indeed.
Photo Credit: Brolly Weather, Old Woods Hill
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