The Lapdawg O-Stand – A Versatile iPad stand with 4 flexible legs

When it comes to stands for iPads and other tablets, the Lapdawg O-Stand surely has them beat – at least in the name department. Created by Lapdawg, the O-Stand is billed as the “Swiss Army Knife Of iPad Stands”, and there’s little doubt that it’s versatile. Resembling more like a alien from the War of the Worlds than a typical gadget stand, it can hold various tablets and e-readers and its 4 removeable flexy legs lets you position your iPad just how you like it.

From a design perspective, the Lapdawg O-Stand certainly is unique. It’s comprised of three main components: a retractable universal arm claw, 4 removeable legs and a center sphere that holds them together.

The arm claw is made of plastic and has a locking mechanism on its back that will allow the top and bottom claws to hold tablets/ereaders from 7“ to 11” in size. That means you can use it with your iPad (1–4), iPad mini, Kindle Fire, Nexus 7 and the Kobo Arc, among many others. Behind the arm claw there is a rotatable ball joint and bendable neck, so the tablet can easily be swiveled and held at the desired angle.

The O-Stand’s four legs are the main reason why it’s so adaptable to how you prefer to setup your stand. They are 21.5″ each in length (54.6cm), highly flexible and coated with a rubber-like skin. At the end of each leg is a rubber ball end point that works much like JOBY’s GorillaPods, which help the Lapdawg stand latch onto various objects and surfaces. The great thing is that it’s entirely up to you how many legs you want to use – be it just one leg or two or all four. Installation is simple enough: the legs slide into one of four holes at the bottom of the sphere, then tighten the nuts with the included Allen key on the other end.

As a stand for my iPad and iPad mini, I found the Lapdawg to work well. While on my desk in my home office, I often use to hold up my iPad as a second display next to my iMac. Coupled with Avatron’s popular Air Display app, this setup can come in handy. Reading ebooks on iBooks while lounging on the couch and not having to constantly hold up the iPad by hand is also great. The one thing in particular I do love about using the O-Stand is watching movies when tucked into bed. Thanks to the flexible legs, I can position it over my body and adjust the screen to a comfortable eye level. With a traditional stand, this is something I often found significantly more difficult.

Personally, I prefer using only 2 legs, as I find that it works just as well with a pair and it looks more tidy on a desk. Not to mention that you don’t have to fiddle with all four legs when trying to adjust to a new height or angle.

Now as much as I like using the O-Stand, there are several drawbacks. For starters, the arm claw has a cheap plastic feel to it. That said, I haven’t actually had any issues with devices being held in place (it’s secure enough), but it just doesn’t feel as solid as the rest of the stand. The other being the way the legs are attached. Say you wish to go from 2 to 4 legs for more support (maybe you want it wrap around a chair or outdoor object ala GorillaPod), well first you have to find the Allen wrench, then screw each one on. This won’t take more than a few minutes, but it’d be so much easier and more convenient if the legs could be attached sans screws and tools. Finally, I wouldn’t recommend doing any serious typing while the stand is in use. Basically because of its more flexible nature, tapping on the screen will cause the iPad/tablet to slightly shake and vibrate.

The Lapdawg O-Stand is unlike any other iPad stand, be it in design or practicality. Whether it’s in the office, the kitchen, on the couch or bed and even outdoors, it’ll have you covered if you ever need your tablet propped up. The price tag of $79.99 is not exactly cheap, but the stand can be used just about anywhere. It’s also nice knowing that it comes with a lifetime guarantee; so if it’s defective at any point, just contact Lapdawg for a replacement.

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