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The Mobile Gadgeteer

Matthew Miller & Joel Evans

Stump: the ultimate stand for your tablet, phone, or eReader

By | January 28, 2012, 6:52am PST

Summary: The Stump is appropriately named since it reminds me of a tree stump. It basically looks a bit like a hockey puck, but has a slot in the middle for propping up your device for viewing, typing, or just about anything else.

I recently flew a number of times in less than a month. One of the challenges that I faced was getting the iPad into the appropriate position, for long-term viewing of a movie. I first tried to use the cover of the iPad by making it into a triangle, but I ended up having to then lift the iPad up further. In addition, there have been plenty of train rides where I struggled to get the iPhone to sit in an appropriate position for viewing media. Enter the Stump.

The Stump is appropriately named since it reminds me of a tree stump. It basically looks a bit like a hockey puck, but has a slot in the middle for propping up your device for viewing, typing, or just about anything else. Another nice feature of the Stump is that it’s solid enough that it doesn’t move around, even during a bumpy flight.

As for watching movies, I was able to slot in the iPad, even with its front cover attached. I was then able to stand up my iPad in portrait and landscape mode. You can also lay the iPad down on top of the Stump, as you can see in the picture below.

When I first saw the Stump I was wondering if it would actually benefit me to take it along as an accessory. After all, I have used a number of cases in the past that allow me to prop up my devices in a variety of configurations. The nice thing that I found about the Stump, though, is that it allowed me to prop up my devices even when they are in their cases. This makes the Stump a must-have, since I can use it with my iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire, and just about any other device I have handy.

You can read more about the Stump or purchase it for $24.95 at StumpStore.com

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Topics

With more than a decade of mobile, Internet and wireless experience, Joel specializes in taking existing brands and technologies into the mobile and wireless space.

Disclosure

Joel Evans

Joel is a serial entrepreneur with his most recent business, CronkSoftware (cronksoftware.com), focusing on consulting and building games and applications for mobile devices. Joel has consulted for Microsoft’s Windows Mobile division and advises other companies on how to incorporate mobile into their existing brands and products. Joel purchases many of his devices and others are sent for review on a 30-day loaner basis and then returned to the supplier. If any devices are provided as “keeper” Joel will clearly disclose this in his reviews.

Biography

Joel Evans

With more than a decade of mobile, Internet and wireless experience, Joel specializes in taking existing brands, technologies and services into the mobile and wireless space. Joel is currently serving as the Managing Director of Cronk Software, Inc., a company he founded to offer full-service, end-to-end mobile strategy, design and development services.

Joel is the former founder and "Chief Geek" of Geek.com, a website praised by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and others as one of world's best sources of information for technology professionals and enthusiasts.

Joel also serves as a technology expert for a number of well-known publications and regularly advises corporations, analysts, journalists and bloggers on what the future of technology will bring. He brings decades of relationships with leading game publishers, online communities and publishers, along with both hardware and software product management and delivery expertise. Joel can be found online as "JoelGeek" and you can follow him on Twitter @JoelGeek.

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