Universal Silver Compass Design Portable Mobile Stand Desktop Holder

As one of the reviewers has pointed out, this is a clone of the Twelve South Compass mobile stand (for tablets). It is marketed as a "Universal Compass Design", which is an acknowledgement of the original, of sorts.Rating breakdown:Value = 5Quality = 3Function = 4Packaging = 1So, what does this clone have to offer besides a 85% savings over the original?PROS:- well made, but not perfect. Only time and use will determine longevity.- quite stable in upright position, including touch operation.- sent Air Mail (but took two weeks from time of order).- did I mention it was VERY inexpensive (at least for now)?CONS:- very poor packaging, especially considering it has to come from China. It came poking out of the cheap envelope.- no pouch or even plastic wrap to protect it during shipping or transport with the tablet.- using the short leg to support a tablet at a slight angle from horizontal is not stable enough to allow touch operation. BUT, I doubt that the Twelve South Compass works at this angle either. It is a function of the design, not quality of the product.- Portrait position not usable, touching an upper portion of the tablet pushes the lower portion off the support arms.- Material is probably just painted steel (not machined aluminum). As a result of being steel, it is very heavy. Good for stability but bad for transporting (carrying).OK, now the fun part. The cheap envelope it came in has a Customs Declaration stamp with the following fictional information:Contents: Gift, phone assessory-1,Value 1.2 (1.2 in Hong Kong dollars is about 15 cents US (1.2 in any currency is not much!)Sender's Signature: liz unclefuds (yeah, right!)

Buyers Beware: This is NOT the official Twelve South Compass as seen in the Apple Store. Yes it looks very similar, but it's some sort of knockoff. That being said, it works pretty well for a knockoff! The rubber feet tend to be a little more flimsy than the official one and can slide off. This isn't a real issue once you're careful putting the iPad on the stand. I usually use this in landscape mode. Comes with a cool pouch like the official one. For less than half the price than the official, it's definitely worth it.

I noticed that most of my reviews are 5 stars. I think that's because I tend to research products before purchasing them and see what other people say so the chances of being disappointed are very low. This is no exception. I'm very happy with this stand. I use this tripod like holder for my iPad and I love it. It folds up flat so it's easy to carry around and seems to be pretty stable when my iPad is resting on it. There is a little "swing out" on the "back leg" that allows for the charging/synch cable to fit through so you can easily position the cable for either portrait or landscape mode. The stand is mostly solid metal material (Aluminum?) so i would be very careful about stowing it next to your device without some cushion or separation (it does come with it's own storing bag but it's very thin). The legs have protective rubber rests so your device won't scratch when perched. Be aware the TSA asked me about the metal object in my carry on bag when going through X-ray at airport. It probably looked like a knife the way it was folded up. It wasn't a problem but it did get noticed so you might store it where it can easily be removed for inspection.

It appears passable in the picture in Amazon but it seems flimsy and poorly constructed. My biggest problem is that they appear to be dishonest and misrepresented themselves. I say this because there is another product that looks different in Amazon, is described differently and is named differently. Also the price is different and one charges shipping postage. I can say this because I bought both. Then I discovered that they were mailed from the same address and had the same name! Therefore I can not comfortable recommending either.

I had a TwelveSouth Compass stand and had it stolen at a trade show. I purchased this knock off because it was less than half the price.Unfortunately, it is worth less than half the price. The original design was tight and precise, this product is very sloppy with all of the connections loose.Buy the original!

Original PostI use this stand all the time. It works great and holds my iPad in both positions. The feet are soft rubber so it stays put. It also allows for several positions and slight angle changes. It collapses to a portable size. I like this stand, it is great.Updated once the item was receivedI initially gave this item high reviews. I based my reviews on the same device that I purchased from the Apple store for a good bit more money. When I finally received the item (very long lead time) it looks very similar but appears to be a copy. There is no brand stamp on the stand and the stand is very loose and folds over too easy. I believe it is a cheap replica of the one I purchased from the Apple Store. I do like the one from the Apple store it functions very well but will cost more.

The metal on this tablet holder is strong and heavy. If you bopped someone in the head with it, they would definitely notice. Not that I'm recommending doing that. Folded up it does remind me of the size of a leatherman or so.I use it to hold up a 7 inch tablet and it does the job just fine. I don't know how it would do with some of the larger tablets, perhaps not very well.The stand is a little larger than I imagined from the pictures.

This stand is a great buy for the money. It's an essential asessory for an iPad, nicely made and makes the iPad useful without the need to hold it. Too bad it's no longer available as I needed more for gifts.