Part of my gadget obsession involves finding a good stand for my iPad. I admit that, much like my keyboard fetish, I can’t get enough of trying out different docks and stands. You’d be surprised at the little details a manufacturer can add to a stand/dock that make it just a little bit better than the competition, and the Satechi – while it seems simple at first – is a surprisingly good product.

The Satechi R1 is pretty simple at first glance – it’s three brushed aluminum plates on hinges that hold your tablet “in the air.” Thanks to the flexibility offered by the hinges, your tablet can be held flat, at angles, and in portrait or landscape modes. The whole thing is balanced so that no matter how you angle your tablet, it’ll be held in a sort of floating position, making the R1 really useful for watching movies on your desktop while you work at your main computer. Not that we working stiffs would ever do such a thing.

The part that holds your tablet is padded on the front and back to protect it from being scratched by contact with the holder, and to help limit its movement. Speaking of movement, if there’s a key flaw in the Satechi, it has to be that it’s a bit jiggly when you tap your tablet’s screen, with some annoying bouncing that happens. Along with that, if you have your tablet in a case, it may make it too heavy to work properly with the Satechi. Most simple cases shouldn’t be a bother, but my iPad needs to be taken out of its keyboard case to use the Satechi, or the whole thing just slumps over.

If you’re looking for a good tablet stand, and don’t mind spending a good bit of cash (suggested retail is around $60 USD, though I’ve found it for $49 USD in some online shops), you could do far worse than the Satechi R1. As a whole, this is a product that serves a specific need, and does it with a sexy style.

Final Score: 3.5/5