I spend a lot of time these days writing on my iPad. I made it my only writing machine while at Macworld, and I’m writing this piece on it right now. I’ve made a point of using my ZAGGmate case in the past to write on my iPad regularly (as it contains a keyboard), but with the iSlider by Rain Design I can leave my old case behind and know that I’ve got a stable stand for writing with my iPad with me wherever I go.
As with all Rain Design products, the look of the iSlider is top-notch. It feels sturdy and looks slick to boot. The best aspects of the design are twofold: it allows the iPad to remain steady when typing at any angle and its sleek design makes it the most portable standalone iPad stand to date.
In Use
The iSlider can be positioned in several ways, allowing for easy viewing of media or for lengthy typing sessions. In fact, there are well over 15 positions that you can place the iSlider in when using your tablet (although I do use I for my iPad, it can be used for other tablets).
The stability of the iSlider is one of its greatest features – no matter what angle you place it at it is virtually impossible to tip your table backward off of the stand. The sides are less stable, but even while rigorously typing I didn’t feel as if I was going to tip the iPad off the stand in either direction.
The tablet is held in place by an easel-like ledge on the front and a slip-free coating on the movable portion of the iSlider. When I tried to move the tablet from side to side on the movable portion, I couldn’t. Again, the stability of the iSlider is quite stellar – and the fact that the stand almost disappears beneath my iPad creates the minimal look that many “productivityists” tend to look for in a product.
In Storage
When you are done with the iSlider, you simply pull the movable portion all the way out, press it down into the sliding component, fold the ledge down an push it into the aluminum stand. What you’re left with is an object not much larger than an iPhone. Seriously…it’s that compact. The iSlider comes with a pouch that you can place in in when not in use, allowing you to keep the aluminum as scratch-free as possible. Should you not want to a bag with you when you leave home with your tablet, you can take the iSlider and put it in your coat pocket – or even in the back packet of your pants – and you are good to go. The iSlider gives me a portable workstation; one that I can take with me to the local coffee shop or use with my Levenger Lap Desk while I sit in my living room and write…like I am right now.
If you’re looking for a portable stand for your tablet that is worth its weight in both form and function, then you can’t go wrong with the iSlider.1 It will retail for $49.95 USD and will be available soon at the Rain Design website.
1 Full disclosure: I received an iSlider for free as a review unit for the purposes of conducting this review.
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