The Stando Tablet 360 Stands Out [Review]

aNewDomain — When I’m not sitting at my workstation working or writing, I tend to spend time consuming media on my tablets: the Sony Xperia Z2 and the Nexus 7. I’ve longed for a way to enjoy my tablets more comfortably, as I always have to hold the things or lie them flat. I just want to watch Gotham — and lean back! The folks over at Amzer told me they had a solution for exactly this problem — a tablet stand called Stando.

Simple Design

The Stando is a simply designed, incredibly useful stand for tablets. According to its documentation, the Stando fits tablets in the 7-inch to 11-inch size range, which I found curious, considering I own both a 7-inch and a 10-inch tablet. Amzer must have done its market research.

I couldn’t immediately comprehend how one cradle could securely handle tablets with varying sizes, though. The answer? Spring loaded braces that are strong enough to hold heavier tablets and are large enough to encompass varying thicknesses. Check it out:

I could even cradle a tablet that had a cover on it.

Once your tablet is in place you can enjoy a hands-free experience. This works well as a simple tablet stand. It’s not perfect but adequate for day-to-day use and comfort, mostly due to the almost universal form factor. Plus, there’s a slip-resistant bottom, so you can rest assured that your tablet won’t slide off of the counter or table.

Size Matters

The Stando has a simple “desk fan” design, which has a hinge on the bottom. The bottom hinge lets you tilt your tablet forward or backwards while cradled. This is a nice idea, but I found one issue with the range of motion: It doesn’t tilt far enough backwards for someone of my height.

For example, if I’d like to mount my tablet on the kitchen counter for a recipe, I wouldn’t be able to see the recipe as clearly as I’d like due to the angle. The screen’s angle, for me, meant unreadable text. If one were able to push the Stando back another three to five degrees, the view would be optimal for someone over six feet tall.

The Stando also has a rotating top. This lets you rotate your tablet 360 degrees clockwise or counter-clockwise — in theory. The Stando rotates the full 360 degrees, but as the braces reach the bottom of the stand, they tend to get stuck on the base. You have to gently pull the lower brace forward to continue the full rotation. Not a big deal, but noticeable. The rotation is useful for viewing items in portrait view or landscape view.

The Stando tablet cradle is pretty convenient overall. I’ve found it is really useful as a mount that lets me watch video while working on SQL scripts or writing an article at my workstation. It’s nice-looking, lightweight, durable and available at the reasonable price of $40. If you’re in the market for a tablet stand, be sure to check out the Stando.

For aNewDomain, I’m Ant Pruitt.

All images: Ant Pruitt