Best stand/case for video chatting - something that tilts forward?

[hominamad]

Hi - I am actually not an iPad owner yet but am thinking about taking the plunge if I can figure out a way to get it to work for my most common use case. 75% of the time, my wife will be using the iPad to Skype or Facetime with her family abroad. She has been reluctant to go the tablet route because it doesn't seem ideal for the way she uses it. We currently use a netbook for this purpose and often times my wife just sets it up on the counter in the kitchen, and then goes about her business around the kitchen, house, etc and its as if her family is in the room with her. A lot of the time she even points it down to the floor so her family can watch our 1 year old playing on the floor, etc. The problem I'm finding with most of the cases or stands is that the viewing angle is assuming that you are sitting directly in front of it all the time. As soon as you walk away, the person can't see you anymore and very few allow you to point it downwards.

So what would be the ideal case or stand for my situatoin? I'm basically looking for something that will allow me to tilt the device up or down similar to the way a laptop screen works. I would not be averse to considering some sort of speaker dock either - and in fact I'm thinking that might even be a positive for what she's using it for. Another one of the things I'm worried about is that the sound won't be loud enough, which is a problem we have with our netbook (Dell mini 9). If anyone recommends a speaker dock, can you tell me if you use it for video chat and if there are any problems with echo, etc when the volume is turned way up?

Thanks!

~H

 

[ExCalif]

Hi - I am actually not an iPad owner yet but am thinking about taking the plunge if I can figure out a way to get it to work for my most common use case. 75% of the time, my wife will be using the iPad to Skype or Facetime with her family abroad. She has been reluctant to go the tablet route because it doesn't seem ideal for the way she uses it. We currently use a netbook for this purpose and often times my wife just sets it up on the counter in the kitchen, and then goes about her business around the kitchen, house, etc and its as if her family is in the room with her. A lot of the time she even points it down to the floor so her family can watch our 1 year old playing on the floor, etc. The problem I'm finding with most of the cases or stands is that the viewing angle is assuming that you are sitting directly in front of it all the time. As soon as you walk away, the person can't see you anymore and very few allow you to point it downwards.

So what would be the ideal case or stand for my situatoin? I'm basically looking for something that will allow me to tilt the device up or down similar to the way a laptop screen works. I would not be averse to considering some sort of speaker dock either - and in fact I'm thinking that might even be a positive for what she's using it for. Another one of the things I'm worried about is that the sound won't be loud enough, which is a problem we have with our netbook (Dell mini 9). If anyone recommends a speaker dock, can you tell me if you use it for video chat and if there are any problems with echo, etc when the volume is turned way up?

Thanks!

~H

The big advantage to the ipad is its portability over even netbooks. I wander around the house chatting away. The sound system on the ipad 3 is great. Conversations are had at normal speaking levels even if I am a few feet from the ipad. I wouldn't dock it or add speakers, if you do that you may as well chain yourself back to the desktop. When someone calls I could be in the kitchen cooking, on the couch, out on the porch, in the office etc. I just answer and continue cooking for example while chatting. Actually I spend a lot of tme with an "open mic" just doing my thing. If one of us has something to say we just talk. It's close to being there.

I wouldn't chain myself back to a dock or a desk...

I haven't needed to direct the angle of the ipad. I use a simple cover that stands it up at various viewing angles but never at or past vertical.

I do have a Ram mount on my boat and think Ram makes pretty good stuff. If the surfaces on which you place the ipad are all smooth you could conisder a suction mount like this one...

http://www.amazon.com/RAM-B-166-TAB3U-Suction-Tab-Tite-Cradle-TouchPad/dp/B004V4N3NW/ref=pd_sim_e_2

 

[Gabriel1]

Just an insane thought here......but as the iPad has a camera back and front which can be toggled between, any stand that leans back would be fine, so all you really need is an adjustable stand and there are hundreds out there.

The Archangel

 

[hominamad]

Thanks for the advice. ExCalif - can I ask what stand or case you use? It seems that even if the device is pointed slightly upwards you would go out of the picture if just stepping a few feet backwards. I would at least want something that lets it stand vertical at 90 degrees. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Gabriel1 - that is so true what you say about the back camera for facing downwards. I didn't even consider that but it makes total sense.

Thanks again for the replies.

 

[ExCalif]

Thanks for the advice. ExCalif - can I ask what stand or case you use? It seems that even if the device is pointed slightly upwards you would go out of the picture if just stepping a few feet backwards. I would at least want something that lets it stand vertical at 90 degrees. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Gabriel1 - that is so true what you say about the back camera for facing downwards. I didn't even consider that but it makes total sense.

Thanks again for the replies.

The only marking on it is Speck... I am sure I grabbed it at a best buy, wallmart or similar place...

Here are three shots of it. Two are in stand up mode. There are little grooves in the flat part that a bump on the plastic cover fit in to allow 4 angles. The final photo is in typing mode, the cover flips over backwards to do this and you can see the bump below the keyboard that allows it to stand up.

I sometimes go out of shot but that's manageable.

I actually didn't realize till now it does go pretty vertical.

Covers are personal and in some ways expensive. I wouldn't really recommend one over another but this one was cheap, simple and does what I need.

 

[pcparker]

I use the Tablet Claw for multi-stand use. Hope that helps!