Mobio's Adjustable Stands Are Unique In A Crowded Market

Every time I walk into a store, I am bombarded by displays of peripherals for tablets and smartphones- from stands to cases to earphones, etc.  And to tell you the truth, I already like my stand and don’t want to invest in anymore peripherals for my tablet.  That was until I saw Mobio.

Mobio makes three different adjustable stands for mobile devices: the Mobio Pivot, Mobio Go and Mobio Grip.  They all work in generally the same way.  Basically, you attach a strong magnet to the back of your device using an industrial grade 3M adhesive, and it magnetically connects to freestanding tripod.  The result is an adjustable stand that is sleek, small and does the job better than bulky stands.

The Mobio Pivot ($44.95) is designed for tablets.  This was my particular favorite out of all of their products because I like to watch movies on my iPad and my current stand is bulky and frankly, ugly.  Plus, the pivot displays my iPad better than just laying it on the counter, and it takes up less counter space (a big plus in my household with three kids, two dogs and a husband.)

The Mobio Go ($34.95) is designed for a smartphone and the company advertises it for use in the car for handsfree driving.  The “Go” is especially useful if you use your smartphone as a GPS or listen to music.

The Mobio Grip ($34.95) can be used as a handle or a stand.  It can also be used for presentations, moving your tablet from place to place, or switching from horizontal to landscape mode.  The “Grip” really does make your tablet more portable, especially for kids.  In fact, the company said that one elementary school is already using it for their students.

I spoke with CEO of Mobio, Darek Spring, who told me that in this market, you have to be unique to win customers over.  Especially considering that the after-market mobile phone accessories–those sold to users after they purchase their phone–produced worldwide revenue of $26.5 billion last year, according to ABI. And that volume is expected to increase to slightly more than $50 billion in 2015.

Spring said that at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas there was no shortage of cases and peripherals. “Ninety percent of the booths in the mobile area all had the same looking products- the same copycat concept–you want it be more functional and convenient-for me it’s the little things.”

Mobio’s product is definitely unique.  It works differently than the typical stands that just sit on a table and prop up your tablet or smartphone into one position. The Mobio stand is slick and definitely impresses in an office or for a presentation.  My daughter played her game on the tablet with the pivot and commented on how much she liked it (that is saying a lot because 5 year olds are not impressed easily).

Bottom line, their product is solid, literally.  At first, I was concerned about sticking a magnet on the back of my device—doesn’t that erase all the data?  Actually, it doesn’t.  The company told me that magnets are safe to use on phones and tablets and in fact, iPad Smart Covers use magnets with no effect on the electronics.  However, magnets do have adverse affects on computer hard drives, credit cards and pacemakers (so keep your Mobio away from grandpa’s heart!)

My only issue with the product is that some people may not want anything protruding from the back of their tablet or smartphone, no matter how slim it is.  I personally wouldn’t attach this to my smartphone because it lives in my pocket–I need it to be as slim as possible.  Plus, I have a GPS in my car so I wouldn’t necessarily need it.  However, the magnet can be removed from the back of your tablet or smartphone with a little alcohol and dental floss or a screwdriver.

All three of these products are available on their website, and you will soon see them on Amazon.com.  The company is in talks with a number of other catalogs and stores so look for them in retailers soon.

Mobio is also busy at work on other products with its sights set on the medical and education field.  Spring told me that those particular fields are quickly transitioning away from laptops and onto tablets.  Mobio is designing products to capitalize on that movement.  The company has designed an ultra thin case for teachers as well as students. Expect to see that in the summer.