When I think of the words ‘Device Stand’ I immediately think about stands for tablets. Having an accessory that can hold up your tablet for you for watching movies, reading books and even working can really make your user experience much more enjoyable. We don’t that often see a stand made for phones though. The ones that I have located are either full on docking stations or inexpensive plastic units with limited functionality. Not that there is much need in users minds to have a stand for their device, the want is still there. That want is a niche that iOmounts is looking to fill with their line of magnetic hands-free mounting systems.

We were able to get a sample of the iOmounts iOmini stand which is designed for phones, cameras, small camcorders and just about anything else that isn’t a tablet. Lets get to looking at this mount in a little more detail shall we. In the box you find everything you need to get started. You have the base plate, iOcore, three iOadapts and the arm with the machinedÂ sphereÂ on the top of it.

The unit does have some assembly required I am afraid, but if you can’t screw a metal threaded rod into a threaded base plate you more to worry about right now than reading on. To assemble, simply screw it together. Takes all of five seconds to do. From there you can attach the iOcore to the sphere. Now all that is left is figuring out what devices you want to attach the 3M adhesive iOadapt rings too. As mentioned earlier, you are provided with three iOadapt rings to use on three different devices. Peel off the backing and firmly center and apply it to the back of your device.

It is all pretty straight forward and simple. After you have it all together and the iOadapts in place on your device you are good to go. Take a look at a few images of it in action.

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Taking a look at how your device sits on the iOmini makes you see really quickly how useful one of these little guys will be. The red magnet swivels any direction you want around the metal ball, giving you options for best viewing angles. Put this on your bed side tablet and use it for a clock at night or even to watch movies. If it sits higher than you are while laying down, just swivel your phone down a bit. Beats the heck out of adjusting yourÂ positionÂ or fiddling with a clumsy plastic bracket that usually leaves you adjusting it multiple times.

OK, so we have a phone attached and you can see how it looks on the stand. Big deal right? What about durability and magnet strength? The iOmounts are made from steel. I highly doubt you can break it, ever, unless you got out a torch and really tried. As for magnet strength, I thought the same thing and figured I should show you. Take a look at these shots.

Even with the weight of the iOmini pulling down, which weighs 2 pounds 4.1 ounces, it hangs just fine from my device while in the air. Does that mean that it is extremely difficult to remove your device from the mount, not at all. Instead of pulling though you want to slide it off. Makes it much easier. If you pull straight forward you are more likely to take the red iOcore off the ball instead of your device.

iOmounts offers three versions of this stand. The iOmini that you have seen above for smaller electronics. The iOstand, designed for use with tablets and has a larger base and a taller extender arm, and the iOwall. Which lets you mount a sphere to the wall so you can toss-up your tablet for demos or showing things off.

What uses do we think these stands can serve? Unlimited possibilities really. If you have multiple device getting an extra set of iOadapts from them will be essential and are only $10 for a three pack. Three are included, but many of us have more than three devices we can use this with. You could easily place one on the bottom of a digital camera or digital camcorder. I could also see the iOmini easily supporting a 7-inch tablet, digital photo frame, or any other number of devices. Set it next to your bed, use it as a tripod, put it on your coffee table for gaming. There really isn’t anything you couldn’t use one for.

Overall unit specs –

Weight – 2 pds 4.1 ozs
Height – 7.5-inches with ball
Ball – 2-inches
Base – 4-inches

The Yays

Extremely solid stand
Comes in stainless steel, powder coated black or powder coated white
Quick and easily assembly
Multi functional
Multiple angles easily achieved by moving your device around
Strong magnet
iOadapt rings don’t come off easily after attaching

The Nays

It is pretty heavy, but it is steel, not cheap plastic
I’d like to see a storage place for your extra rings, but doesn’t detract me from using it. It is, however, an annoyance to keep track of extra iOadapts if you don’t put them on other devices immediately and the only reason this didn’t get a 5 star rating. I would suggest a small magnet on the base to stick them too.
The iOadapt rings are pretty solidly stuck to what you attach them too. Leaving you the need to buy more for other devices. Not a huge negative since they hold and don’t let your device fall off, but still makes you need to buy more iOadapts in the future. At only $10 for a 3 pack I can live with it.

Â Want to buy one?

We don’t blame you. These stands really offer a universal ability to make your life easier. They are well made and look amazing. Price wise, it varies depending on what you are after.

The iOmini that we showed you will set you back $69 for either of the powder coated versions, while the stainless steel stand is $89. Takes a little more time and effort to make it look good.

The iOstand for tablets and larger devices goes up by $20 each. So powder coated is $89 and stainless is $109.

The iOwall, having fewer parts and less steel are a much cheaper. You can snag a powder coated or stainless steel version for $49.

Currently these guys are only for sale directly through iOmounts.com. However, they did much better at CES than I think they thought they would and have already sold out of all of them. The next batch to be available for purchase won’t make its way to market till March. We will let you know when they get in though if you are interested in one. Until then, fee free to check out their website for other information, images and video. Feel free to look at more images below.