CES 2011 Hands on with Joby’s new iPad case stand

zhangnlrc

Appletell Feeds:
Full Feed Category Feeds
Joby, makers of the Gorillapod, has announced two new case accessories for iPad: The GorillaMobile Ori and the Yogi. The first is a fully articulate metal folio stand case, and the second is two thirds of a Gorillapod mounted on the back of a plastic iPad shell. Both solve common iPad viewing angle problems, but do so in completely different ways. I had a chance to play with both at CES Unveiled, and let’s just say,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], I’d like to tell you about them.

It probably seems a bit odd that Joby is making cases, but if you think about it, these cases are still at the very core of what Joby does so well; solve device viewing and usage angle problems. The Gorillapod allows you to position a camera in any direction you please and mount it to just about anything. Well, the GorillaMobile cases do something similar with the iPad. The point isn’t to take pictures, so the products are different,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but they have the similar goals.

The GorillaMobile Yogi looks the most like a normal Joby product. It’s a plastic iPad shell style case that has two mounting points on the back for a special Gorillapod like bipod.

It has all the same qualities as a standard Gorillapod, just one less leg. This makes it perfect for propping the iPad up at whatever angle you like, hanging it from a horizontal pole or ledge, or wrapping it around a headrest for optimal in-car viewing. There are two mounting points on the back of the case to support landscape and portrait usage. It’s a simple extension of the Gorillapod line, but one that works well.

The GorillaMobile Ori is unlike anything Joby has made before. It uses a similar plastic shell case for the iPad, two which is attached a metal folio of sorts. When I said before that the Ori is fully articulate,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], I mean it. It folds, unfolds, pivots and twists, and yet holds any angle with amazing rigidity. This is what Apple meant to do when they made their folio style case.

It has a tab to hold the iPad as strongly as possible in a typing position, a second rigid angle is suggested for kitchen use, and a third orientation elevates the iPad off the table. But I don’t want you to get the idea there are only three angles, because there are infinite possibilities here. You can fold and tilt the Ori as you see fit. There are just three configuration examples.

In person, the Ori is everything that I’ve wanted in an iPad case minus a keyboard. You can position the iPad basically anywhere you want it, from an acute angle perfect for typing all the way up to a few inches off the desk rotated 45 degrees off center just for fun. And when you’re ready to go, just fold it back up like a notebook and be on your way. The inside of the front “flap” has a protective material, so it won’t scratch your screen, and the rest is made of an aluminum polypropylene composite. Basically, it’s light and strong.

I had a minute or so of hands on time with both the Ori and Yogi and I’m ready to recommend both, though I’m a bigger fan of the Ori. The Yogi is sure to be a great solution for many users, but the Ori does so much more. It’s a very protective case and easily the most articulate stand (soon to be) on the market. The Ori will retail at $79.95 and the Yogi at $49.99 soon.

Product [Yogi and Ori]