From laptop stands and to wrist-pain reducers and car GPS holders, the world of do-it-yourself accessory building is limited only by your imagination--not your skills. The DIY contraptions we'll be covering in this brief how-to article won't require a ton of tools, parts, or headaches. In our DIY land, you should be able to construct something to improve your geek life in 30 minutes or less.

Why buy an expensive dashboard mount for your smartphone when you can build one in a variety of ways? We'll start with the iPhone, since half of the components you need for the project come right in the box--the carrying tray that the iPhone sits in is what you'll be using to attach the device to your car.

You may be wondering: How are you going to get your iPhone to sit comfortably in the tray if it's vertical? You have three solutions.

One, buy some heavy-duty Velcro and adhere four strips to the side of the tray in line with the iPhone's top speaker and its Home button. Use two longer strips to tuck the iPhone into the case securely, and then use Velcro to adhere the case itself to a spot in your car. Two, thread a larger piece of Velcro through the carrying tray's center hole to form a loop, and use that to hold your iPhone in place (this approach, though, will limit your ability to see part of the screen). Three, find some small but sturdy pieces of plastic, heat them up and bend them to form little clips, and glue these clips to the frame of the iPhone carrying tray to secure the phone in place.