[Nexus 10 Accessories] 3DSammy:
[REVIEW] LooKbad - "Airholder" and "Handy" hands free holders for Android Tablets

NOTE: I'm a Nexus 10 owner with no affiliation with LooKbad Limited

Airholder:

Pros

- Hands free tablet viewing is both relaxing and comfortable even after several hours reading or watching videos

- The Airholder is made of high quality materials and appears to be of much better construction than alternate products

- Allows for endless adjustments providing almost any viewing angle you could want when sitting up or fully reclined

- The MultiCase accommodates both microUSB and Pogo plug charging cables

- When not in use folds into a compact non-obtrusive form factor

Cons

- The included USB connections do not support OTG devices (e.g. USB hubs, SD card readers ... etc)

- Support arm needs to be anchored (wood, cement or dry wall)

Detailed review:

Using a Nexus 10 in bed while fully reclined can be uncomfortable in less than 40+ minutes (a single TV show). Even a dock sitting on your chest can be a pain as it is difficult to maintain optimum viewing angles.

After researching several alternative hands free holders, ranging from music stands to converted desk lamps, I discovered the best ones were mostly made for the iPad.

That is until I stumbled upon the "Airholder" by LooKbad Limited. Their web site says the Airholder supports "iPad/Android/Windows Tablet". Although the devices is fairly expensive ($118 USD after applying a $10 discount code), I had the need and enough spare cash to take a chance, so I bought both the Airholder and added a "Handy". It did not hurt that their web site had pictures which displayed the AirHolder and a Nexus 10.

Shipping from Hong Kong was on the high side at $38 USD but I ordered on a Friday and it was delivered on the following Tuesday (Canada). There was no additional duty charges but your mileage may vary.

After the unboxing my first impressions were that the arm, joints and swivels are very well made and will likely be durable over the long haul. Different than the iPad Airholder version, that snaps on like a hard shell cover, the "MultiCase" is a generic tablet holder adjustable for tablets from 5.5" to 11". The MultiCase locks into the AirHolder and has an additional lock-switch for extra safety. Of note is that 7 inch tablets can be held in both portrait and landscape positions while 10 inch tablets (e.g. Nexus 10) can only be held in the landscape position.

After adjusting the MultiCase to accommodate the Nexus 10, I realized that this holder would not prevent the Nexus 10 from sliding sideways if the holder tipped unexpectedly. That initially worried me but after using this product for a while the concern was unfounded. In fact the lack of tight fit proved to have a number of benefits.

First, a TPU case on the Nexus 10 could be left on and it looks like the MultiCase could even accommodate a flip cover. The other benifit is that you could make slight adjustments like tilt left/right/forward/back without changing the MultiCase's overall position. Unless you have the Airholder you cannot fathom how useful that can be.

LooKbad has recommendations on the position you should mount the Airholder and I highly recommend you heed their recommendations. As I did not want to make mistakes and drill unnecessary holes in my bed room wall, I initially mounted the Airholder on a 2x4 piece of wood then temporarily proped it up, to give it a test run for few nights. I'm glad I took that approach as I ended up finding that I preferred the mount 3 inches higher than LooKbad's recommendation just so I had additional elbow room.

The Airholder includes USB connectors with the wires hidden inside the main arm and includes a male to male USB cable. I envisioned attaching a powered USB hub to one end and get the benefits of both OTG Devices and changing from the one USB connection. Nice idea but I discovered that the Airholder USB connections do not support OTG USB devices, just power for charging. Still nice but OTG support would have been even better.

Adjusting to your preferred position whether sitting up or fully reclined is very easy. The arms and their adjustable joints are well thought out. After making your adjustments you can lock the position in and it is secure enough that touching the tablet surface does not cause distracting jiggling.

At night, when the lights are off, it is both cool and a little disconcerting having your tablet appear to float in the air. I particularly liked being able to position the tablet so that I could look straight out to the center of the screen no matter how I laid in bed. Something that was not as easy when resting a dock on your chest. Also no more juggling a tablet and a cup of tea while reading an ebook. There is a lot to be said for hands free reading.

After two weeks using the Airholder I feel I got my money's worth. Sure I could have taken a chance and saved money but I got what I wanted with a product that will likely be used with my next generation tablet.

Handy:

Pros

- Convenient for attaching to kitchen cabinets, desktops, music stands ... etc

- Utilizes the Airholder's "MultiCase" so two different tablet mounts did not need to be purchased

Cons

- The Handy is very short so in all but mounting to a kitchen cabinet you'll likely need an additional component (e.g. music stand) to position the tablet for easy viewing

Detailed review:

At $16 USD the "Handy" was a through-in item when the Airholder was purchased. Adding the "Handy" meant no additional shipping charges. Unfortunately I had not thought things through so did not fully realize that the very short arm would mean that I could not get the tablet close enough for my tired old eyes to read text. This is my issue not LooKbad's.

The Handy works great in the kitchen where cabinets have a natural position for viewing. So far I have not settled on how I will use the Handy day-to-day, but have jury rigged a short rod to a camera tripod while I contemplate a music boom mike stand purchase.

So far the camera tripod has been very successful as its stable and can be adjusted in multiple ways (swivel, height, tilt). In fact I suspect it is more stable than any cheap music stand. Manoeuvring the tripod with Handy/tablet attached, to a viewing position for my easy chair, works surprisingly well. Although it doesn't have a high WAF (wife acceptance factor).

Of note is that when attaching the Handy to any smooth round surface the downward torque caused by the weight of the MultiCase and tablet is significant so the grip tends to slip. I ended up positioning the Handy with the Handy's arm already pointed straight downward. I only mention this as it meant I had to adjust the height of the camera tripod a few inches higher.

I am not disappointed that I spent the additional $16 for the Handy and do use it daily with my easy chair and occasionally in the kitchen.

Independent review of the Airholder.

AirHolder on Youtube:

The basic functions of an AirHolder

A tip on using the AirHolder

AirHolder as your furniture