Need your phone to stay upright? Sometimes, propping it up on a book or nearby wall doesn’t cut it. US-based accessory manufacturer Kenu gets this, and has released Stance, a versatile tripod stand for Android devices – or in fact, anything with the right port.
Stance has a zinc-alloy construction and non-slip feet, so it shouldn’t slide around whatever surface you’re propping it up on. It can be either a tripod or a kickstand, and connects to your phone using a “MicroMount” – a plastic(ish) plug that sits in your Micro USB port (the company says its actually “a durable, resilient composite material called Grilamid”). Want more? It’s also a bottle opener. It’s only 34 grams, and is just under 8cm long when folded flat.
There’s also a model available for other devices with Lightning ports (thoughtfully, a different colour). Kenu’s planning to sell a cable adapter for the Lightning version so you can charge your phone while it’s connected to the stand, so hopefully we’ll see something similar for the Micro USB version.
Kenu’s selling Stance from their site for US $29.95 + $9.99 shipping to Australia. They say Stance will be at retail in early 2015, so hopefully there’ll be some local distribution soon.
I’d be worried about my phone trying to tip back if it was even a little bit top heavy and snapping my charge port inside. And forget using this for even a seven inch tablet.
I would not purchase this product. Although I like the concept a lot, USB connector ports were not designed to withstand forces in any direction other than a connector being pushed in and out. Even then they can detach from the PCB.
Great idea, though I’d be somewhat concerned about wear on my USB port with regular use.