Portable USB Chargers
There are about a billion products on the market that will give your phone a little battery boost during the day, but if you don't feel like buying one, you can make one yourself at home out of an Altoids tin. It takes triple A batteries, fits in your pocket, and saves your battery from dying in an emergency. You can also make a solar powered version if you prefer, or just make a quick one out of a 9V battery.
Portable Speakers
Crappy sounding iPod docks can cost a fair amount of money, and good sounding docks can cost a lot. Why waste your money when you can boost your volume just fine with a paper cup or a cereal bowl? We ran down the most popular free DIY volume boosters and found that some of them worked remarkably well—specifically, sticking your phone in a paper cup. If you want a more involved project though, you can always craft a "speaker" out of a block of wood or make a thin boombox with this cool, minimalist design.
.jpg)