First things first, let's drop the full stop: Goo.ey, is now Gooey. With that cleared up, let's have a look at this 'skin', which is a millimetre or so thick and attaches to a smartphone, iPad or similar to enable you to temporarily stick it to a flat, glossy surface.
'Why would I want to temporarily stick my phone to a flat, glossy surface?' I hear you ask. To be honest, I'm not really sure. To watch a video, perhaps, whilst in the gym, or more usefully, make a hands-free Skype call. Or, and here's where the motoring angle comes in, you could use it to turn your smartphone into an in-car satnav, sticking it to the dash for hands-free operation.
Within that context, this admittedly clever little product has its pros and cons. On the plus side, while able to stick to things like glass or plastic with some tenacity, the Gooey doesn't feel sticky to touch. That's because it uses a polyurethane epoxy with 3M adhesive. I'm not scientific enough to understand how it works, but can confirm that it does. Put a Gooey-equipped phone in your pocket and it doesn't pick up so much as a spec of fluff, yet place it on a glass table and you'll need a firm grip to release it.
Also noteworthy, is that you use a Gooey in addition to, rather than instead of, your existing phone case, and it is so slim you'll barely notice it's there. It's also removable, so if you change phone you can keep your Gooey.
As for using it in the car, the problem is that, in order to stick, it needs a flat, smooth surface - and in most modern cars the only place you tend to find a flat surface is, you guessed it, on a satnav screen. Suddenly, making use of Google Maps on your phone whilst driving doesn't seem quite so useful. Even if you have a car with a multimedia screen that doesn't happen to have satnav, you'll more than likely want to see whatever information is displayed on that screen rather than block it with your phone.
What the Gooey does do in the context of improving your life behind the wheel, however, is stop your phone sliding around inside whatever cubby hole it's stored within, assuming of course it is on a flat surface.
My other gripe, and I concede it could be down to user error rather than an inherent fault with the product, is that immediately after fitting the Gooey I dropped my phone half a dozen times as I misjudged the effort it would take to lift it off a flat surface. Leave it on a glass table, for example, and you need to apply a good amount of effort to release the Gooey's grip.
What these criticisms shouldn't detract from, though, is the fact that this product is basically faultless if you judge it against what it's supposed to achieve. It feels like a very high quality item, is nicely designed (including a cutout for your phone's camera lens) and has no sharp edges. In a bright colour, I also think it looks quite stylish. And although ultimately not particularly useful, your friends will be amazed by how you can stick your phone or tablet to televisions or windows, and leave it there in a seeming gravity-defying state.
Ulltimately, one suspects what this comes down to is that the Gooey is an invention to answer a question nobody ever asked. Despite this, I'm rather fond of it, for its quirkiness, if not its usefulness.
Gooey phone and tablet skin
Compatible with: iPhone 4 and 5, Samsung Galaxy S2, S3 and S4, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, iPad Mini and iPad (all generations)
Price: from £15
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