There is a lot you can do with an iPhone these days, and there is a lot that Australians will do for a beer or two. Not too long ago those clever buggers even invented a pair of slip slops that could open a beer. Naturally, they have now merged their love of beer with their iPhones.

The concept is nothing new and there have already been a few iPhone covers that did the job, albeit a little inadequately.

But thanks to two Australian entrepreneurs we will soon have the “Opena”. It’s a hard plastic case that fits over the iPhone and is equipped with a slide-out bottle opener.

Previous prototypes of the invention didn’t solve all of the problems like having a slim design, scratching the iPhone or putting too much pressure on the phone.

Not anymore though.

Melbourne-based Chris Peters, an industrial designer who developed the product with Rob Ward, a former toolmaker, gives his input:

Basically, Australians are fairly heavy drinkers, as you may or may not know. We’re always out at friends’ houses and so on, and in some cases you may not have your keys on you.

So we thought, why don’t we attach a bottle opener to an iPhone case? We always have our phones on us.

Testing included running through what a promotional video has called “the worst case scenario” where a friend has shaken up the beer before giving it to you, as does happen on occasion, and miraculously the case and the iPhone emerged unscathed every time.

The mates didn’t find it hard to gather start-up capital either and soon had keen investors frothing over their concept.

They’d used a site that allowed anyone to pitch in financially, which in turn enabled them to get the product to market in record time.

Once again, iPhone beats BlackBerry.

[Source: Reuters]