The fast-approaching holiday season is prompting peripheral and accessory makers to go into high gear creating giftbale add-ons for high-tech devices, and Belkin has just rolled out two new solutions for the Apple iPad: the FlipBlade iPad stand and the Grip 360° + Stand.
The FlipBlade is more-or-less just another iPad stand: it’ll hold an iPad in portrait or landscape mode so folks can watch their slideshows, video, or other media without having to prop up the device, and the FlipBlade folds up for storage or for dropping in a bag so users can take it along with them. Belkin plans to ask $29.99 for this device…and we’re not sure how well that’s going to go over with consumers.
More intriguing is the Belkin Grip 360° iPad case, which will be available with and without a Stand. The Grip 360° is an iPad case with a neoprene hand strap on the back, enabling users to easily grip and support the iPad with one hand while interacting with the content with the other. The hand strap rotates so it can be used with either hand at any angle, with the iPad in portrait or landscape mode. The case adds grip-ability to the iPad, while the neoprene handle comfortably fits differently-sized hands. The separate Stand can be added to the Grip 360° case, enabling the iPad to be supported at multiple viewing angles. Given how many iPad applications rather rely on the device being held at the edges and controlled with thumbs, we’re skeptical how useful it is to have one hand strapped to the back of the device, but for folks who literally find themselves carrying the iPad around in one hand all the time, it might be a tremendous boon. Belkin plans to offer the Grip 360° for $59.99; with the Stand, it’ll go for $69.99.
