The 3D Printed StandPro: Finally Something to Hold Those Devices in Place!

Dear readers: raise your hands if you are one of the many sad, neglected masses out there forced to prop your smartphone up on an inferior household object! Whether it’s propped up against your coffee mug, nestled inside a large hair barrette (uh, er, guilty as charged) sitting in your lap, or forgotten in another room altogether, both you and your device deserve so much more out of your lifespan.

Standing up for the rights of electronics and their owners everywhere, the team behind the StandPro has created a solution for users currently being inconvenienced and suffering from lack of productivity–or entertainment–due to the lack of a proper stand for their smartphone, tablet, or even laptop.

Conceived by tech enthusiast and designer Sang Le of Hong Kong, the 3D printed StandPro is meant to offer better portability and improved viewing angles for your device. He and his team have just launched a campaign on Indiegogo, in hopes to raise $10,000.

“StandPro is an idea that came from my frustration having to hold a mobile device for a long time,” said Le, who uses tablets and smartphones often. “…my hand gets tired, and I also get neck and wrist pain when I am holding them for a long time.”

“The traditional tablet stand and smartphone cases cannot solve this problem because they are either too heavy or too large. To solve the problems, my team and I have come up with a design that can enhance the user’s experience.”

Using 3D technology, the team was able to come up with an innovative prototype quickly. They used Blender to design the StandPro from scratch, finding the popular program to be both user-friendly and powerful at the same time.

“We used Blender to design our product from scratch,” Le told 3DPrint.com. “Blender is free, easy to use and so powerful. It can export to many formats that can be used in printing StandPro, and as well animating it in professional tool, Adobe After Effect.”

“For prototyping StandPro, we used the XYZ da Vinci Jr.,” Le told 3DPrint.com. “It was an amazing experience. With only a little amount of money and an idea, we already can play and test out our product on hands.”

Able to hold a device up to 6.6 lbs, with screens from 4.5 all the way up to 13 inches, the StandPro is unique in that it offers a ‘sticky pad’ to hold your electronics in place, while allowing for adjustments depending on your viewing angle. It works well with both plastic and metal, and you can even wash it easily at home. The StandPro is available in a wide variety of colors, featuring blue, black, green, and even hot pink. It’s adjustable, affordable, and offers easy assembly. An affordable add-on strap is also available if you need to tether the device to say…an arm or a leg?

With deliveries projected for March 2016, early bird supporters can receive one StandPro for only $20. And including an add-on strap, the early bird price is $25. Volume pricing is offered; for example the EarlyBird Duo is $30 for two StandPros, and $35 with the add-on strap. Promised to ‘enhance your life like never before,’ this is an awfully tempting product, considering the enormous inconveniences encountered when we try to do the smallest things and keep an eye on an unattached smartphone or tablet.

From eating breakfast to playing a musical instrument or exercising, we often rely on our devices during activities for one reason or another. Because of the curved design, users will find they can use the StandPro in almost all situations–even turning it into a handy, grounded GPS device while driving (no more sliding all over the place) or a complete entertainment system, snuggled onto your leg while you relax on the couch.  Discuss this design in the 3D Printed StandPro forum on 3DPB.com.

Photo of prototype sent to 3DPrint.com by StandPro.

Photo of prototype sent to 3DPrint.com by StandPro.