The Apple iPhone is a great simple device that can do many things both while stationary and in motion. I don’t go anywhere without my iPhone by my side and have it cradled above my workstation with a 3G apple dock. Unfortunately the dock doesn’t support landscape viewing and really isn’t suitable for one-handed operation.

I don’t know about you but I like to have my iPhone for landscape viewing when I’m playing multimedia from services like YouTube, Pandora and using the iPod App while working on my laptop. Having my iPhone lay flat certainly isn’t the way to go…

Enter the Just Mobile Xtand: weighing in fully assembled at 3.9 oz of solid aluminum; the Xtand for the Apple iPhone/iPhone 3G features:

1. all solid aluminum construction
2. 360 degrees rotation
3. adjustable viewing angle
4. cable management
5. non-slip feet

The base is aesthetically and functionally shaped to ensure your iPhone doesn’t topple over or to the side. You never want to see your iPhone topple over for any reason. I live in the great “Earthquake State” so stability is always good.

The luxurious three-piece black box contains the Xtand mobile stand and rubber kit for the 3G iPhone (the thicker 1st generation rubber kit comes pre-mounted and only takes a second to swap out). I was a little confused at first by “2G” it may be have been smarter to put in 3G for obvious standardization.

Xtand gives you full access to all of your iPhone features like volume control, mute, home, microphone. Xtand also has a simple yet elegant cable management so that your workspace is kept neat and tidy.

After unboxing the Xtand you need to unscrew the thumbscrew from the lid of the secondary box.

There are white on black visual directions on how to assemble the stand together in a matter of seconds.

This includes using the two rubber washers between the holder and the thumbscrew to form a solid grip on the front facing sloped pad of the stand to allow for comfortable viewing in both landscape and portrait positions. If I tighten the thumbscrew just slightly the rubber washers will hold the iPhone securely in any position I choose but just feels wobbly to where I feel I need to tighten the thumbscrew.

Whether you are using external amplified speakers or just listening with your favorite pair of headphones you can comfortably use the Xtand with your iPhone fully cabled and powered up. You can also turn it from portrait view to landscape view by loosening the thumbscrew in the back with one hand and turning the iPhone with the other then re-tightening the thumbscrew at the appropriate angle in only a matter of seconds and without disturbing the cable management.

After using the Xtand for a few weeks in a row I am pretty satisfied in what it offers and has become a permanent fixture on my workstation.

My only one suggestion is to somehow make turning the iPhone into an easier one handed operation without having to loosen the thumbscrew in the back – maybe some type of locking button or gear. I noticed that if I tighten the thumbscrew too much that unscrewing it could involve flipping the whole device upside down to get a decent grip on the thumbscrew to apply enough torque to unscrew it. Of course I heed removing your iPhone while doing this. The rubber kit is nice and snug but I wouldn’t trust having my iPhone upside down for too long.

Links:

• Learn more about the XTand at xtand.net
• Purchase the XTand at Amazon.com

If you are going to buy anything from Amazon.com, please consider using these links in this article. If you do, I'll get a commission - a small percentage of the sale price. It won't cost you anything and it will help to support me and iTalk Magazine.