Dollar Store Accessories: Flat-folding tablet stand is perfect for iPads
Of all the Dollar Store accessories I've tested to date, none of them has come close to exciting me as much as this simple folding tablet stand. For just a buck (of course!), this stand delivers heavy-duty plastic that capably supported every tablet I tested it with.
The stand folds in half in the middle, and there's a tab that you push back to connect to any of the the three slots on the opposite side. This enables you to adjust your stand to various angles from quite upright (bottom slot) to nicely sloped (top slot).
Two arms on the bottom of the stand flip out to support the tablet itself. When you're done using the stand, both the tab and the arms flip back to their original position providing a flat, unobtrusive bit of plastic that nicely fits into most handbags and backpacks. I keep mine folded in half rather than the full, unfolded style from the original bag.
The center tab is a bit hard to insert and extract. You need to push in one side of the tab and then the other, and reverse that for removal. It doesn't take a lot of work and the tab (being the main structural component of the thing) needs that solid connection for reliable use.
On the down side, I found the portrait orientation to be less steady than I'd like. If you're considering this product, I'd recommend only using it for landscape use with full-sized iPads. The flip-out arms, in addition, are the weakest component of this stand, and they're the bit you should keep an eye on in terms of aging and replacement.
In terms of functionality and flexibility, the Dollar Store stand is a good value. Agreed, it doesn't present any challenge to my favorite Two Hands, which I intend to keep using for the forseeable future, but it does offer a product that TUAW tablet users may want to check out.
For those who don't want to shell out a lot and are looking for a highly portable tablet stand solution, this dollar store option is certainly acceptable.
