Sexy: iClooly Aluminum iPhone Stand and UBoard Monitor Stand
While browsing one of the Apple Stores in Palo Alto, CA, a couple of months ago, it struck me that despite average store size, a lot of these outlets were lacking in many ways. For example, why aren’t the Apple stores selling any good iPhone stands, given how many iPhones have been sold? I’ve been in two stores (main employee store and downtown Palo Alto) and nothing. I’ve looked at Apple’s online store and nothing there either. Then I stumbled across Pyramid Distribution’s sexy aluminum iClooly stand, and a few other computer accessories.
Sure, iClooly is nearly US$30 (25% off of $39.99 list price) but it looks worth the price. It also makes your iPhone 3G/ 3Gs sort of look like a miniature iMac. Now, if you browse their site, Pyramid does have a few less expensive stands, but even at US$17.95, they look a bit wobbly. I guess the idea with all these types of stands is to give you hands free viewing of your iPhone when you can’t touch. Though given how firmly some iPhone apps require you to touch or tap the screen, I’m not sure you can use this setup like a small touch-screen computer. One push from a finger is could possibly knock your phone over or simply push it away from you. Has anyone had any experience with this iPhone stand?
[Via Buzz Beast]
UBoard Monitor Stand
One of the reasons I was looking around for accessories was to optimize my mobile apps development lab, which involves too many laptops, computers and screens – not to mention, phones, external hard drives, USB hubs and media readers. Things are extremely crowded on my work desk, and there’s no room to add another desk to expand onto. So I’ve been looking for multi-tier monitor stands that could let me slip two laptops underneath when they’re not in use, but still allow access. There’s nothing out there that I’ve seen so far, and I ended up improvising with two wire dish rack stands from Target. They seem to work fine for now, but if you want a stylish monitor stand, Pyramid has the UBoard, which has a glass top and a built-in USB hub for either Mac or Windows computers.
From the dimensions given, you probably cannot put a Mac Mini or a Dell Zino (a bit bigger than a Mini in size, but of a similar form factor) under near the glass ledge, but you could put them on top, slide a closed laptop underneath, and setup a monitor or iMac behind the stand. Or you can put a monitor or iMac on top. The glass top does looking fragile, but specifications say that it will support up to 15kg of weight. Since a 24″ iMac is 11.3 kg (25 lbs), you have some flexibility of configuration. The only setback is the US$50 price, which is not conducive to any bootstrapping apps developer on a small budget. On the other, if you saw how flimsy my current monitor stands are, it might be worth the expense of a couple of UBoards, to prevent the loss of a monitor falling over from accidental bumping.
How have you got your mobile development lab set up? Found any innovative accessories that optimize your workspace?