Twelve South Compass Portable Stand for iPad and iPad2

• Perhaps the biggest strength of this gorgeous sliver of steel is its versatility. Used upright as an easel, Compass lets you view and interact with iPad in both portrait and landscape modes, even if you keep your iPad protected in the Apple case.
• Compass is an iPad stand designed for those who want to work on their iPad. Designed with a fold-away secondary leg, Compass instantly transforms from an easel to a pint-size work station, angled perfectly for typing on iPad's onscreen keyboard.
• Folded flat, Compass is a mere 7-inches long by 1-inch wide, about the size of a candy bar. Small enough to carry anywhere and use everywhere you go.
• Compass is beautifully designed and folds to a compact size making it totally mobile so you can easily take your iPad show on the road. It's versatility makes it perfect for business or pleasure.
• This one-of-a-kind mobile iPad accessory is super easy to set up. Slide the sleek Compass out of its case, simply fold out all three legs and fold down the two iPad supports and you're done.

Nice device, but a couple of real drawbacks.

It is heavy. Sometimes heavy is good, and perhaps I'm looking at this from the perspective of an ultralight backpack hammock camper, which I am , but this thing is quite heavy. It is 7 ounces, which us "gram weenies" know is the size of an entire camping cook stove. LOL If you're just going to the coffee shop with it, it's not a back breaker, though. Just eat your Wheaties, okay.

The main problem with it for iPAd is that it opens and closes in such a way that when you peck on the iPad, it wants to close. The hind leg should have been built the other way so that pressure on the Ipad would open the stand, not close it. On several occasions, just from pecking on the iPad for a while--and I'm not Hercules or anything--the Compass stand will just close up and my iPad falls flat on the table. Hard. I actually am thinking about a work around to put a rubber ball or pencil inside the "crotch", if you will, of teh Compass so that it can't close. But for forty bucks, I shouldn't have to do this. To me, this is a major problem with the Compass stand, and had I to do it again, I might opt as others online have for a dish display stand. At Michael's or Hobby Lobby, they have plate stand displays, they are plastic or wood, they open up like a book, and they are lightweight and cost about $5 each. Many use this successfully with the iPad. It doesn;t allow the low, or flat, position like the Compass, but then again my SmartCover allows me to do that already anyhow.

So, middling marks for a stand that is solid, strong, sturdy, but tends to fold flat (trust me, use it for a while and if you peck your iPad, it'll shut on you) closed at the wrong times, is slightly heavy, and is very pricey,

Hope that helps, click above if it did, your opinions may vary and that's fine, you should write a review, too. Bye bye.

Addendum April 18: I can't take it any longer. The back leg that props this up is simply not at an angle that prevents the iPad from falling. I went to Michael's and bought a $5 wooden fold flat display plate holder, and it works superbly (just as others online have said). I never return anything to Amazon, but I am returning this Compass stand. It's a loser, to me. Particularly for forty bucks. The company clearly put design before function on this one. Avoid this product. Use the plate holder. Wood Plate Stand Black 9 Inch

Addendum: I bought also an Arkon standArkon Portable Fold-Up Stand for Apple iPad, Galaxy Tab, BlackBerry Play Book and my review is there of it. Very superior to this Compass stand in every way. Sorry, Twelve South, back to the drawing board for you.

I still use the plate stand, too. So, the plate stand and the expensive Compass stand re NOT adjustable for tilt angle. The Akron stand is.

Addendum July 1, 2011: I'm still using akron plastic stand so successfully that I bought as second one for the office, and I still didn;t spend as much as one single Twelve Compass stand. The Akron solved my issues for iPAd and Kindle, too.

Thanks a lot.

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took off one star because it would have been nice to have a lock that keeps the legs open, other wise very well made stand

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I travel a lot. Unfortunately, the Compass Stand appears on airport security scanners as a heavy, metal object in the shape of a knife. I just returned from a five-country, European trip. Each time I passed through security, I was stopped and asked to demonstrate the purpose of the "dense metal object" in my carry-on luggage.

I love the design and size of the stand. Sadly, its solid makeup is also the cause of travel problems. I'm more upset with the paranoid state of airline security than I am with the folks at TwelveSouth, who deserve a lot of praise for the stand's design.

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When I needed a travel stand for my iPad 2, the choice came down to the Griffin Loop and the Compass. I went to the Apple Store and asked the saleswoman if I could test both out. The Griffin does NOT work with the iPad 2, despite what it says on the Griffin site. The Compass works great with the iPad 2. Just keep in mind that what you're getting with this stand is a compromise between sturdiness and portability, but it's an EXCELLENT compromise. I'm a reporter, and I bought this to bring with me while covering conferences and conventions. I need it to prop the iPad up when I'm using a keyboard or showing photos/videos, and to hold the iPad when I'm typing or editing images/video. The Compass has already proven itself on one busy trip.

The Compass comes with a carrying case that looks like it's meant to hold chopsticks--that's how small this thing folds up to. I store it in a pen pocket of my iPad carrying case. What surprised me most about this stand is how substantial it is: It's solid metal, with durable rubber padding where necessary, and the folding parts have a decent amount of resistance. The way that the supports fold away is brilliant; if it weren't so well built, this stand would be just a gimmick. It IS well-built, so it's a practical accessory.

In display mode, you will need to hold the iPad with one hand while you press buttons. This is the case with most stands; if you think about it for a second, to make a stand that will let you type and swipe while the iPad is upright, the device would need to be solidly attached to the stand, and the stand would need to be either weighted down or attached to a surface, all resulting in something too big to put in a briefcase or purse. For a gadget that folds to the size of a pair of chopsticks, the Compass holds up rather well. The grooved rubber pads on the bottom part also help.

In typing mode, I still have to be a little careful when pressing the Home button, or the iPad may slide. I do not recommend playing games with this stand, as any aggressive poking or swiping may dislodge the tablet. Comparison to Apple Smart Cover: I've had the Apple cover collapse more often and more easily when typing or attempting to do things on the iPad while in display mode; the Smart Cover does not do portrait mode. Compass wins as a stand.

Pros:

Solidly built

Compact for travel

Looks like something Blade would use to kill vampires

Good support for most uses outside of gaming

Cons:

Not sturdy enough for gaming or angry emailing

May raise suspicion of astute airport screeners

I picked one up at the Apple store today and like it. Very compact and durable. I keep my iPad in a protective case so all docks are out of the question. This tiny easel is just what I needed. It is very stable when the iPad is in landscape mode for most browsing and watching movies. And if your gently and do not pound on your iPad it seems ok in portrait orientation. I will say that unlike the photos they show, it does not work very well in laid back mode. The iPad rocks a lot when you try to use it that way. Even though it's build quality is not as highly polished as the iPad, it is very solid and looks like it will last a long time.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this stand.