For $22, the Joby Gorillapod is a no-brainer.

With three interchangeable heads (camera tripod thread, suction cup, adhesive clip), the Joby can latch on to just about anything, and with its flexible legs, can keep it steady just about anywhere.

This thing belongs in any point-and-shooter’s camera bag for taking low-light shots without blurring or choosing grainy high-iso settings. Its extremely light weight (much lighter than my traditional mini-tripod), and is very easy to use. You could even grip the legs together hand-held in between tripod shots if you wanted to.

Another advantage of this unit is that the feet are rubber, so it wont scratch car roofs, etc.

In the picture I have it supporting an iPod Touch, because as any iPhone/Touch user knows, it can be a pain in the butt trying to watch a movie while holding the thing in your hand. They also have a larger model for SLR’s and another for SLR’s with a zoom.

Now if they only had an attachment so it would stick to the back of a Metro-North seat.