TUAW review and giveaway: MoviePeg for iPad
Last April, I reviewed the original MoviePeg for the iPhone 3GS. It was a super little stand that I used every day. Today, I'm happy to have spent a week with the MoviePeg stand for iPad, and I'm even happier to give my test stand away to a lucky TUAW reader.*
Design
The MoviePeg is a no-frills, deceptively useful stand for the iPhone 3G, 3GS, and now the iPad. The iPad version actually contains two perfectly shaped chunks of rubber (OK, thermoplastic elastomer) that fit over the iPad's bezel and provide ample support for its backside.
They're firm but not rigid, and they come in two colors: Pitch Black and the limited edition Clockwork Orange. What's clever is the little slot that allows them to fit together for travel or safe keeping. There's really no more to them than there needs to be, and even the iPad-sized edition will fit into a jeans pocket.
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Use
The rubber pegs slid perfectly onto my iPad and held it securely at nearly every angle I tried, both horizontally and vertically. Of course, the closer you get to the edge in portrait orientation, the closer it comes to vertical and the tipping point, so don't go nuts. The most obvious use scenario is to prop the iPad up while watching a video, which I did, but I found myself using it for much more throughout the week.
For example, when propped up in portrait orientation and paired with a Bluetooth keyboard, it made a nice dedicated Twitter station. Additionally, I used it in the kitchen with the great Epicurious app. When pushed to the top corners with the iPad in the landscape orientation, the MoviePeg stand provides a nice angle for typing with the software keyboard. You can even prop the pegs on your knees for true "laptop" typing.
I know what some of you are thinking. "I can do those things with any iPad stand." Here's why I prefer the MoviePeg stand to some others. First, the rubber is just so darn flexible. As I said, I got the stand to hold nearly any angle that I tried (in either orientation). Switching from one position to the next is a breeze because there's no adjustment to be made. Just take the pegs off, move the iPad, and put them back on.
The MoviePeg stand is also small and unobtrusive. It fits easily into a bag, or even a pants pocket, without adding any noticeable weight, so you won't mind hauling it to the library, to class, to Aunt Shirley's house, etc.
Finally, it looks like something you'd buy in a nice design store. People unfamiliar with the product will ask, "What is that thing?" Then, when you show it off, they'll respond with "Clever!"
I'm thrilled that my main complaint with the iPhone version has been corrected for the iPad. Some apps that only ran in portrait orientation and wouldn't "flip" when rotated (like Outside) meant that the dock connector was always facing the desk. As such, I couldn't plug it in when running those apps for a long time. Fortunately, the iPad doesn't care how it's held, so the dock connector can always be positioned in such a way that it's available. That's Apple's doing, of course, but it does positively affect the use of magneticNorth's product.
For US $23.89, you'll get yourself a very useful, flexible, and nice-looking iPad stand. I definitely recommend it. Now, let's move on to the good stuff: the giveaway! One lucky winner will receive the very stand (in black) that I reviewed for this article. As with most of our giveaways, we need you to leave a comment. We'll pick one winner from the entries. Here are the details.
Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
To enter leave a comment .
The comment must be left before MONDAY, AUGUST 9, 2010, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
You may enter only once.
One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
Prize: MoviePeg for iPad, black (Value: US$23.89 )
Good luck!
*Actually, that's a lie. I hate to part with this awesome little gadget!
