Renegade Concepts, Lap Pro Finally Offers a Stand for Tablets That Meets All Needs
Let me begin with this: I am the inventor, designer and owner of this product. As a result, this article is nothing more than a statement of specifics and functions. It would be unethical of me to review my own merchandise. So what you read from this point on, will concern what the product is, what it does, and how it functions. There will be no opinions or comparisons. But I will say for those who have read my previous reviews, I am extremely particular and with that in mind and for the sake of my own integrity, you can bet I mean business because I felt I was forced to create this stand out of sheer frustration. So read on.
Forever, and I mean forever, I waited, and waited for someone, anyone, to create a lap stand for the iPad that met the needs I wanted and knew was needed in the market. As a consumer and a reviewer I knew what was needed in a lap stand. No one stepped up to the plate. I spoke to other owners and inventors, made suggestions, offered ideas, waited, and still nothing. So about a year ago I came up with a design. I put it to construction. Now this is a year ago, mind you. My factories screwed everything up over and over, and delayed what was supposed to be a February launch, to a November launch. But it’s finally here, live, large and in my opinion, “in charge.”
The “Lap Pro: Stand/Caddy” is its name. So here is what it does. It is a soft, plush stand designed to be used in bed, on the couch, the chair, trains, planes & automobiles. It was also designed to be a carrying tote for tablets and some minor accessories which can all be placed within the 2x pocket. The Lap Pro works all of these universally:
Tablets
E-Readers
Books
Magazines
Paperbacks
It is useful for all these items and has a universal one size fits all. The Lap Pro is constructed of styrofoam beans, teddy bear stuffing and MicroFiber cloth. This was done with the intention of keeping it light at around 10 oz., malleable and able to use the stand’s fabric to clean off dirty screens with the fabric made of the same material as the cleaning cloths you get with your sunglasses. The pockets are made of the exact same material, so scratches are not a concern. When a tablet is placed within the pocket, the beans surround it, giving it ample protection on the most vulnerable and likely areas to receive abuse and damage: the front, back, top and bottom of the tablet. The two sides are still covered, but have no padding.
The Lap Pro is able to be angled from 0-89 degrees. It rests naturally at around 40-45 degrees. When one wishes to have the stand at less than 40 degrees, simply place the tablet into the “Bumper-Well” (jam it in there) and while holding the top of the iPad in place, roll the Lap Pro onto its back by also lifting the “Bumper” (lip). Then press down and wiggle a bit and it will stay in that position. Increasing angles is simply done by pushing the tablet down and forward, and the Lap Pro will keep that position.
This is useful when in a tight, upright seated position. Such as when one is on a charter bus. Now, if you wish to use it while lying flat on your back, say while you’re in bed? Simply place the Lap Pro anywhere on your body that is comfortable, from your ankles to your chest, place the tablet, book, whatever into the Bumper-Well and then fluff up and forward to an upright angle of 89 degrees. Because of the beanbag design, the beans will settle pretty well offering good resistance, helping to prevent any flattening. So the Lap Pro will hold its shape and angle rather well.
The Lap Pro: Stand/Caddy was designed for the comforts of both men and women. We males tend to sit with a wide stance. Our legs are typically spread apart at the knees. So the Lap Pro has a natural width of around 12″. So no more kegel exercises trying to hold something in place on your lap. No, the Lap Pro was designed to make this a comfortable, effortless endeavor for my brother males. Just put it in your lap or between your knees in a natural seated stance and the Lap Pro will perform for you.
For the ladies, there is a very special surprise for you. Who on the side of the fairer sex can tell me of a stand (or anything) that allows you use with your legs crossed? I have never come across such a mythical thing. Should something already exist, it is a rarity and it without a doubt does not work for the iPad or any tablet or E-Reader, and it is my business to know considering I review these things for all of you. So ladies, you can use this stand with your legs crossed. Which leads to an obvious additional perk. If the Lap Pro works with crossed legs, then it will obviously work with one leg. Yes, finally a stand that works for all positions, laying back, sitting up, somewhere in between, with wide leg, crossed leg and even one leg stance and with still good stability.
The Lap Pro, due to it having no hard, sharp or moving parts, makes it great for just about any age and pretty unbreakable. It also happens to make a great travel pillow as well. Tearing can happen, but as long as you do not get overly abusive with it, nothing will happen to it. Simply put, it works. A lot of effort went into making a utilitarian design to fulfill all needs regarding relaxed use. Would I call this an “executive stand”? Absolutely not. Admittedly the Lap Pro is not a “slick” stand. This was a stand designed for home, travel, and casual use, for real utilitarian needs and function.
Dimensions: L: 8.5″ x W: 12-13″ x H: 6.5″
Weight: 10 oz.
The Lap Pro is made by hand. Some people might like less beans, which will make the stand more malleable. The way to do this, is as follows:
Take your tablet or hard cover book and place it in the Bumper-Well in landscape mode.
Place it on a knee high table (or floor).
Place the butts of your palms on top of the tablet, hovering over the stand.
Then throw your body weight down, stiff armed pushing the tablet down and out, jamming it into the Bumper for 60 seconds.
This will cause the Bumper to stretch out some. After this:
If on a table, sit on it and wiggle your tush to settle in and expand the fabric and stay there for 1-5 minutes.
If no table is available, do the same thing on the floor, but instead, kneel on it.
This will expand and stretch the end-caps and chassis fabric. Do this to make the Lap Pro as malleable as desired.
If you study in bed or the couch, lying down, play games, composing essays, watching a video, or just surfing the web? The Lap Pro will do everything you need and do it well and competently.
The Lap Pro: Stand/Caddy, is available only in black at this time, but will soon be branded with various teams, corporate logos and patterns. It retails at an affordable price of $29.99 (which was intentional, because all the other companies are gouging us with $40-50+ prices) and can be found at the Lap Pro Site, or also on Amazon.com.
