Ross Rubin contributes Reserve Power , a column fascinated about personal perspectives and products.
With handset screens getting larger and applications reminiscent of streaming primetime shows and video chat becoming more prevalent, it is not surprising that some handsets corresponding to the HTC Evo 4G include a built-in kickstand. Most phones, though, be afflicted by LifeCall commercial syndrome –- when they’ve fallen, they can not arise. To supply some assistance, an entire cottage industry of pocketable products – many with inventive designs — have seemed to permit you to enjoy your handset’s screen without your hands within the way. But how universal are they?
I tested a lot of popular and unusually-shaped handsets — including the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, Droid 2, Droid X, BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Torch, Palm Pre, HP Veer, Samsung Captivate and the monstrous Samsung Infuse — finding, as an instance, that some phones slot in some stands only when their physical keyboards were extended. Surprised at how well a number of the stands held up, I even tried them with some tablets, including the BlackBerry PlayBook, Apple iPad and Motorola Xoom. This column will introduce the 1st six devices after the break, while the subsequent Reserve Power will discuss several more, conclude with my favorites, and link to a spreadsheet detailing which devices and stands paired appropriately with each other.
3Feet ($15)
http://3feet.com
The beefiest folding stand I tested, the sturdy 3feet can handle nearly any pocketable device you throw at it without breaking a sweat. It could also slot in a pants pocket, even though it will absorb much of the gap therein. The 3feet has two adjustable angles using its main support, and a 3rd leg that enables the device to be raised at a steep incline, say, to be seen from a status position. It also includes some of the few stands of its kind marketed for handsets that could accommodate the iPad and Xoom in both horizontal and vertical orientations. The 3feet might also accommodate the iPad at a shallow typing angle, using its third foldout leg and its bottom lip to avoid the iPad from tipping over, but there has been a touch an excessive amount of give; I even preferred using Apple’s folio case inside the “typing” position over the 3feet for that use case. The 3feet comes in a variety of colors and you may even mix ‘n match colored parts to, say, show support to your alma mater or favorite sports team.
Agent 18 StandHear ($25)
http://www.agent18.com/productdetail/extras/standhear/157.aspx
The square white-and-gray StandHear is barely a so-so stand. For instance, while it was ready to handle a top-heavy Droid X in portrait orientation, it was a chunk touch-and-go end result of the device’s relatively narrow support leg. However, recessed under the device’s lid is a three.5mm audio cable and on both sides is a three.5mm audio jack. Yes, the StandHear doubles as an audio output splitter so that you and a pal need not accept 1/2 the stereo effect in a shared song or video.
Note, though, that due to very short length of the cable, many handsets will only work with the audio splitter when held in a landscape orientation. This probably isn’t an incredible issue for many consumers, but as video chat-capable handsets proliferate, we might even see instances where people want to share the audio of a remote person while crowding in front of the screen. (The relatively short Pre and BlackBerry Curve with its side-mounted audio jack were exceptions to the landscape orientation dilemma, but neither supports video chat.)
Breffo SpiderPodium (â¤15, $20 at Amazon.com)
http://breffo.com/
The Spiderpodium takes the GorillaPod idea of wraparound stabilization and cranks it up from three legs to 8. This offers extraordinary flexibility in how its rubbery appendages cradle virtually any handset in the marketplace. The remainders are used to stabilize the device or wrap it to any selection of surfaces, including chair backs or car air con vents. The product’s center platform also has a slot to house an Apple 30-pin connector. Tripod screws may also fit during the slot to stabilize compact point-and-shoot digital cameras.
As was said to a different spider-inspired entity, “With great power comes great responsibility.” The Spiderpodium’s grip on a tool or whatever you are looking to hitch it to is solely as secure as you’ve bent it to be. The gangly Spiderpodium is probably not the prettiest, smallest or quickest handset stand, nevertheless it offers the right flexibility in additional ways than one. The corporate also offers a bigger version for tablets priced at â¤25. Bravo, Breffo.
elago M1 ($10) and S2 ($10)
http://elagodesign.com/
Design-conscious accessory maker elago has two phone stands. The more versatile one is the hinged M1. Perhaps the smallest such product in the marketplace, the M1 is likely one of the few it is easy to feasibly attach to a keychain. It opens like a tiny crocodile mouth to expose two wavy notches for positioning your portable device at one in all two angles.
Unlike the M1, the S2 is constructed from a single piece of metal and gives just one viewing angle. It delivers style, stiffness and ease. While the corporate doesn’t advertise it as such, it’ll even be used as an earbud wrap, although this works better if the buds have equal cable length for every ear because the Apple earbuds do. Still, the S2 doesn’t offer plenty of confidence-inspiring support, especially when devices are in vertical orientation.
Griffin Travel Stand ($10)
0 http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/travel-stand 0
Wth its moonstone-like shape, the Griffin Travel Stand unfolds to disclose a small dock-like cup that are supposed to hold most thin, narrow slate phones. A tall back provides good support in portrait orientation but overall the product provides minimal support for devices in landscape orientation, considering its size. Griffin also features a small earbud wrap that may fit contained in the stand when it isn’t getting used for phone display. On one hand, it is a nice little extra freebie you need to use without taking the remainder of the case along. Then again, since it’s separate, it can wander off. Overall, the relatively large size of the Travel Stand and limited device support make it less compelling than its competitors.
iAngle ($10)
1 http://www.iangle.net/ 1
The straightforward 2 iAngle 2 is a bit of traingular hard rubber with some of notches and gouges taken out of ether side of its surface, the biggest of which create the gap to support an iPhone. There’s also a canal that runs along its perimeter that, together with two prominent holds in its midde, are designed to support Apple’s standard earbuds. The compact iAngle has no moving parts to wreck, and scores points for doubling as an earphone wrap, however the loss of flexibility of its indentation made it able to supporting fewer devices than competitors — particularly in portrait orientation.
Ross Rubin ( 3 @rossrubin 3 ) is executive director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm 4 The NPD Group 4 . Views expressed in Reserve Power are his own.
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