By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
The biggest problem with tablets and eBook readers is that they need to be held up. While a number of cases and docks manage to support and angle these slates for improved hands-free viewing, there are always compromises. The Octa Vaccum dock + Whale Tail brings a whimsical twist to a smartly engineered product.
Made up of a vaccum suction that attaches to the rear of any tablet or slate, the US $49.95 Octa vaccum dock + whale tail connects to a sturdy rubber whale tail that serves as an articulating support.
The vaccum bit will work with any non-porous, non-textured case. I connected this to my iPad which had a Bracketron rear rubber case and it managed good suction most of the time.
(Note: The proprietary close-chamber dock system needs to be pumped 5 times, which I didn't do when I first tested the dock. Now suction is excellent)
The whale-tail end of the dock is made of hard rubber that can be bent in a number of positions. I was able to angle the iPad and even my PlayBook in various ways to watch videos and check out lists and recipes while in the kitchen.
I also found the Octa a useful travel accessory since it can be used in the confines of an economy class plane seat and it can be used to prop up various devices.
The Octa even worked fine in bed when I had it propped up on a reasonably springy hotel-room bed. The nature of the suction is that movement will eventually weaken the grip so there will be instances when you will need to reattach the suction vaccum part (again, if you pump it as specified by the instructions it is supposed to provide a week-long grip).
The Octa can also be used to hold tablets and eReaders. The rounded area naturally wraps around your hand while the tail part serves as a protector.
The Octa Vaccum dock and whale tail's strange design may not be to everyone's liking. The designers took a risk by choosing to emulate a whale tail which might turn off users who want this for their office (it does make a ggreat conversation piece though).
I think this tablet and eBook reader accessory is brilliant, super useful and it looks like it can support even the heavier tablets in the market.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5