The Premise. These days everybody’s making the switch to tablets. The simple touch screen controls and mobile computing make any quarterly presentation, Skype call, or homework assignment a snap if the commercials are to be believed. But what they don’t show is each user endlessly fumbling, adjusting, and hunching over their tablet just to be able to type and see what they’re doing at the same time.
The Product. The Plinth looks to take all the guesswork out of buying a stand for a tablet. This pocket-sized stand (roughly the size of an iPhone) unfolds with a push of a button and is ready for immediate use. With rubber-padded feet, the Plinth seats the iPad, Nexus, Kindle Fire, or Galaxy tablets firmly in place at one of three adjustable viewing angles. The simple design boasts compatibility with any protective case on the market and even small-to-medium sized hard cover books. When the job is done, the Plinth folds up in a matter of seconds and fits right back in the pocket.
The Pitch. UK Inventor John Bull has a lot of tablets, and he shows off just how quickly setting up a Plinth is with any one of them. It’s hard not to be impressed as each tablet he has on his desk fits firmly in any of the Plinth’s 3 viewing angles. £21,000 (~$35,261) is what Bull needs to cover injection moulding, patents, marketing, and design.
The Perks. For £15 (just more than $25 American), backers can put a Plinth in their pocket in May 2014 without worrying about international shipping. Personalization comes at a roughly $15 jump in cost, whether it’s a name, personal message, or late Valentine’s gift.
The Potential. Universal stands on their own already litter the market by the thousands, but the Plinth’s compact size and clever opening mechanism make for a winning combination. Plinth already has interest from a distributor in the UK and companies that sell through Amazon, but any electronics store would be wise to keep plenty in stock, and the price tag is reasonable enough to make it a companion purchase with any tablet on the market.