Just Mobile UpStand iPad stand

Note: Pricing for this product is in $US.

Just as the iPod and iPhone did before it Apple’s iPad is creating a whole new market in accessories, from cases to keyboards and stands.

Apple itself sells an iPad case and a couple of iPad stands but there are many more becoming available from third-party vendors.

The Apple iPad Keyboard Dock is a nice, if wobbly, way to use the iPad more like a laptop. It begs the question, however – why not just use a laptop, which is just as portable, has its own keyboard and offers much greater functionality?

Of course, while an iPad isn’t as functional as a laptop it is really a quite different beast. Its touchpad combined with an ever-increasing number of wonderful apps makes for something that works better in hand than on your lap of desktop.

The Just Mobile UpStand is a stylish lightweight aluminium desktop stand for iPad that doesn’t feature a keyboard but does allow the iPad to rest straight without having to be held in hand. Although lightweight it’s bulky enough to make it stay in your home or office rather than go on the road with you.

The Apple docks are limited because the iPad has to stand vertically, because that’s where the iPad’s dock connector is placed.

The iPad’s battery boasts a fine charge lifespan so the dock connector is rather superfluous anyway.

The UpStand is just a stand rather than a dock so the iPad can sit either vertically or horizontally – in portrait or landscape modes, so to speak.

Because of its simplicity the UpStand is therefore much more flexible than the Apple iPad docks. If you want to use a traditional keyboard with the iPad an UpStand and a Bluetooth keyboard is a much more flexible solution that Apple’s Keyboard Dock.

The UpStand sits on rubber non-slip supporting grips so that the iPad is held firmly in place. Just Mobiel claims that it is compatible with most iPad cases, too – and this is certainly true with the Apple-made case we tested it with.

Do you need a stand for the iPad?

Until you place your iPad on a stand you’d probably answer “no”, but once you seen the upStand in situ it starts to make sense – especially if you use it to watch videos on or as a digital photo frame. (If only you could hook an iPad up to a portable DVD player…)