The noise-canceling software your smartphone uses to eliminate background sounds from your voice when making a call is surprisingly good these days, but still not good enough to deal with the deafening crackle from a sudden gust of wind. That's why microphones have those puffy foam covers on the end, and why these Windblockers for smartphones and tablets aren't a terrible idea.
Instead of popping over the end of a microphone, the Windblockers are designed to gently clamp on to the edge of a smartphone or tablet, over its microphone hole, to prevent wind from drowning out your voice in a conversation. It's not something you'd need to use all the time, though, that's why it's easily removable and so compact. But we've all had those moments when we really need to make a call while outside and Mother Nature just wouldn't cooperate.
Pricing info isn't revealed on the Windblocker website yet, probably because they've just been recently unveiled at Mobile World Congress. But these hopefully won't cost more than $10 if this company wants to have a success on its hands. [Windblocker via Al Sargent via Tara Tucker]