Lapdawg o-Stand For iPad – ‘Book Mystique Review

My first impression of Lapdawg’s new o-Stand for iPad and other media tablet computers was that it immediately put me in mind of a space alien from a science fiction movie. No particular movie or fictitious creature, but just the general design motif. Another, less obvious reference would be to Apple’s “Luxo Lamp” G4 iMac with its display mounted on a flexible arm, and which in my estimation was the most brilliant Apple desktop computer design ever.

However, the o-Stand is a highly functional design concept, which can mount your iPad on four removable metallic “flexy” legs that you can bend freely into to any shape and configuration that suits your needs in holding your your iPad or other tablet hands-free.

The o-Stand is claimed to work with iPads 1,2, and Retina, all Android tablets, Kindle, Kindle Fire, Sony eReader, Nook, Kobo and more. Versatile. It can position the device exactly the way you want it and anywhere you need it to a maximum height of 31.5 inches or a minimum of six inches, with a 360 degree rotatable ball joint and bendable neck on the mounting head allowing landscape or portrait orientation, and precise angle fine-tuning.

The LapDawg o-Stand is a badge-engineered variant of the iGet tablet holder designed and manufactured by Taiwanese firm TechGiant. Its central module is a high-gloss black globe-shaped hub (described as a “Yin-Yang spherical body” by its far eastern manufacturer) to which the flexible legs attach, fastened with Allen-head screws. An Allen key wrench is included, and the o-Stand can be used with two, three, or four (or in some instances perhaps even just one) flexy legs attached depending on circumstances.

The legs are easy and quick to attach and detach. The o-Stand assembly weighs 2.9 lbs., but feels heavier, and I mean that in a good way. Each leg is removable. Maximum possible height as stand is 31.5 inches from floor to top of holder. Smallest compact form is 6 inches wide and the height of the device.

The device mount is adjustable in width/height to accommodate a variety of tablet sizes. Compatible Device size ranges from 7 inches to 11 inches. A quick-release clamp ostensibly holds it securely in place through the 360° adjustment range. However, there is no physical retainer to secure my iPad 2 in place when it’s in portrait orientation, with traction from the rubber contact pads evidently expected to do the job. I was less than assured of their ability to do so reliably, and my iPad started to slip a couple of times when I was checking this out, although it thankfully never fell out. Not a big issue for me since I mostly use the iPad in landscape orientation, but definitely something to keep in mind if you’re a fan of portrait mode.

The LapDawg o-Stand’s marquee feature and main, somewhat unique virtue is it’s extensive versatility. Pay a visit to the product image gallery on the LapDawg Website, and you’ll see that there are a vast number of potential configurations. I’ve included a few examples with this review, but you can check out the complete gallery of examples here:
http://www.lapdawg.com/gallery-ostand/

o-Stand is great for hands-free support of your iPad (or other tablet) when reclining in bed, lounging on a sofa, in the kitchen, workshop, various outdoor locations, on the office or home office desktop workstation beside a personal computer as a second screen, or even in your car.

The o-Stand’s main deficiency is one that’s common to many hands-free tablet stands: torsional rigidity, or more precisely the lack of , which defeats these stands as satisfactory typing platforms if you want to use the touchscreen virtual keyboard. The percussion of typing even if you have a light touch causes a bad case of the wobblies. You can see what I’m talking about if you watch carefully in the demo video on the Lapdawg o-Stand Web page. This is pretty much unavoidable with any tablet stand that mounts the device on a flexible or cantilevered arm or stalk.

Another impediment to comfortable typing is that the lower device support pads protrude about an inch beyond the iPad’s thickness. You can jigger that a bit by stepping the device outward before clamping, but that’s not a particularly elegant or graceful solution. Another potential workaround of course is to use a Bluetooth keyboard, but that raises the conundrum of where the freestanding ‘board will perch — not a problem if you’re just using the o-Stand to support the iPad on a desk or tabletop, but a definite issue in bed or on a couch or easy chair.

If you use your tablet mainly for content consumption, the lack of rigidity will likely not bother you overmuch, but if you are inclined to do any typing beyond dashing off brief emails, tweets, and the like, the oscillations get old pretty quickly.

However, for uses like e-reading, reading recipes while cooking, or task instructions in a workshop, which involve minimal screen input, adjustable hands-free tablet support has many benefits and advantages. For one thing it’s a lot better ergonomically, eliminating arm, hand and neck stress from holding the slate for long stretches. Positioning the screen at a comfortable angle also can substantially reduce associated eyestrain.

LapDawg o-Stand sells for $79.00 U.S. or Canadian.

For more information, visit:
http://www.lapdawg.com/lapdawg-ostand.html