By ‘Doctor Dave’ Greenbaum

iPad and tablet stands seem to be a dime a dozen lately. Everyone is trying to create the better mousetrap, but the power of crowds has achieved the ultimate and most versatile iPad accessory out there: the PadPivot (http://www.padpivot.com/).

I saw PadPivot at Macworld 2011 and it was being pitched via Kickstarter, a crowdsourced funding project in which someone comes up with an idea and needs to convince people to give them money in order to take the product to market.  The idea has been for people to dish out their hard earned money with little or nothing in return. This isn’t investing because the donor doesn’t get a stake in the profits generally or shares. They might get a token premium like a T-shirt or coffee mug.  The PadPivot is a great success story because it had to have such wide appeal.

One of the key features I immediately noticed is how with a few simple steps it compresses to the size of and thickness of a mobile phone making it easy to carry in your pocket, in your tablet sleeve or in a carry-on. When it isn’t on the road with you, the PadPivot is a simple iPad stand with a groove and stabilizer to make sure it doesn’t fall over yet leaves room for your docking connector. It’s great to keep beside your computer or to use it to display pictures while charging.

In motion is where the PadPivot shines. When fully extended it forms a concave surface that you can place on your thigh or even your arm. Even a big guy like me had no problem getting the PadPivot to stay put on my leg. A grippy pad holds the tablet onto the PadPivot surface.

It’s a loose fit, like a sticky note — enough to stay put, but can easily be knocked or bumped. The goal is to give you a bit of stability to keep your hands free and prevent the tablet from sliding off. This made typing very easy without a surface to place the iPad on since both hands could type instead of one gripping the iPad.  This is a “killer app” on a plane, with no room on that tiny tray table to prop the iPad up put plenty of room on my leg.

If you do have a flat surface upon which to put the PadPivot, you can use it to hold an iPad or iPhone to view content  at a proper viewing angle of about 80 degrees.

Though I’m not a gamer, the PadPivot has a smooth and full range of motion to it allowing you to expertly drive that car or spacecraft and take full advantage of the accelerometer without worrying about your grip on the iPad.

If you travel at all with your iPad, even across the room, you’ll find the PadPivot an indispensable tool for keeping your focus on the iPad rather than holding it.

Rating: 10 out of 10