When it was first revealed at CES earlier this year, we were all amazed with the Spiderpodium Tablet by Breffo ($35). Somewhere in between a toy, and a multipurpose iPad stand, the Spiderpodium has an extremely unique design that is adaptable for almost any tablet device. I got the chance to play around with the unique stand over the last few weeks, and while I think that it’s incredibly clever, there are definitely some drawbacks.
The Good:
The thought of only having to purchase one stand for all future iPad generations has now become a consumer’s dream. Hoping to fill this need, the Spiderpodium Tablet is comprised of eight hard rubber legs connected to a central piece. The flexible legs can be positioned around a device to hold it up while also positioning themselves for an optimum viewing angle. While the Spiderpodium Tablet works well on flat surfaces, one of the biggest advantages of the stand is that it can be used nearly anywhere, whether it be a headrest, door frame, or cabinet.
The Bad:
Even though the Spiderpodium is extremely versatile, I had a problem embracing it for everyday use. Contorting the legs of the Spiderpodium can be quite a pain after the novelty wears off. Busting it out of my bag, I grew to loathe the fact that I had to reposition all the legs with each separate use of the device. Memorizing the different configurations also proved to be more work than I was willing to put in to using an iPad stand, even though Breffo includes a list of instructions on how to create different stands with the Spiderpodium.
Verdict:
Despite being the most versatile iPad stand on the market, the joy from the Spiderpodium Tablet’s novelty quickly fades as the user is forced to pry, contort, and reconfigure the Spiderpodium every time they wish to use it. While it may be great for certain situations, the Spiderpodium Tablet fails to be a device you will want to use every day.
[xrr rating=50%]
