skewbald bernita: Slope by Dekke is the most magical iPad stand you'll ever own

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Slope by Dekke is the most magical iPad stand you'll ever own

Slope by Dekke is a new stand for iPad, actually tablets in general, that is unique in its own right. As you can see above, it looks much like the base of an iMac stand and pairs beautifully with an attached iPad. The most amazing part, however, is that it uses a series of tiny air pockets to secure your iPad into place and secure itself to most surfaces. It really is like magic.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Erik Kitlaus recently, the creator of Slope. If the name sounds familiar, that's probably because Erik's brother, Dag Kitlaus, is one of Siri's co-founders. I met both of them last Spring when Dag spoke at an economic development event event in our hometown of Michigan City. And I've kept in contact with Erik ever since.

When Erik first told me about Slope about a year ago, it was a Kickstarter project looking for some funding. I was intrigued with the idea and have to say, seeing it in person was still quite amazing. The first thing you notice is how light it really is. I was a bit skeptical as to how well it'd actually be able to hold an iPad in place that was about three times it's weight. But it does, and it does it well.

There are two black areas on Slope on both the top and the bottom. These areas look like pads but are really tiny air pockets that are so small, we can't see them with our naked eye. (You can read more on this via the site link at the bottom.) They're quite spongy to the touch. When you stick your iPad, or whatever other tablet you own to Slope, it works like a suction cup. The bottom does the same for whatever service you place it on.

I've tested Slope out on a variety of different surfaces and found only one surface it didn't particularly like, and that was the night table next to my bed. I'm assuming it may be due to the type of wood grain. It definitely adhered and I felt comfortable that it wouldn't fall over, the bottom would just pull up before the iPad would pull off. Basically, I just had to use two hands. On other surfaces, I had no problem pulling the iPad right off with a firm grip and the Slope staying attached to whatever surface it was mounted to.

Slope comes in two different sizes, the standard slope for up to 10" tablets and the Slope mini for 7" tablets. I have been using the standard sized Slope stand with both an iPad Air and an iPad mini and it works exceptionally well with both devices. If you only own a mini, that's where you'd want to buy just the Slope mini.

The good

Using suction means no residue on your iPad, and it won't wear over time
The stainless steel design is beautiful, and looks like it belongs next to your iMac
Extremely lightweight which makes it ultra portable
Works with pretty much any tablet, regardless whether it's made with plastic or aluminum

The bad

Some surfaces may not play nice with Slope, I only came across one though
It can collect dust and lint rather easily, but a cloth to clean it is included with your purchase

The bottom line

Slope is hands down one of the most elegant and versatile docks I've ever seen. From using it in the kitchen when reading recipes to transferring it to the coffee table to share videos with family, I've found it's a dock that moves wherever you go. And for most people, that's going to be what matters.