During 2012, I used my iPad as the primary device for writing most of the time  on the road. I also used a new stand with it, which proved quite useful when both writing with it on my lap and while on planes to and from conferences. For the longest time, I regularly had to answer the question, “Where can I get one?” – only to wind up disappointing them since I had a prototype and you couldn’t buy it yet.  I went all of 30 minutes at the SharePoint Conference last year before another person asked me what kind of stand I was using – his words, I kid you not, were “that thing is a work of art”. Now you can buy one too.

The Nimblstand (don’t forget to forget the ‘e’) is a stand for the iPad that makes the most of the iPad and an Apple bluetooth keyboard. I’ve sworn by the Apple bluetooth keyboard for years as a companion to my iPad. I hate to compromise with any smaller keyboard, and the Apple on-screen keyboard, while handy for quick typing, is useless when trying to type at length. For almost a year, since I bought my iPad (2), I had used an Origami case with it and my Apple keyboard. But the Nimblstand provides an interesting alternative to it. Combine it with with the fact that the velcro on my Origami had begun to fail, and my Nimblstand prototype came along at just the right time.

So what IS the Nimblstand? It is a simple product which enables you to carry a stand for your iPad, and directly incorporates an Apple bluetooth keyboard and a Wacom Bamboo stylus. The keyboard slides into the stand, and the stylus can either be stored inside the stand when not in use, or placed next to the iPad when being used.

Here you can see what the Nimblstand looks like:

As you can see, the stand itself supports two angles for the iPad. The first, when using the keyboard, is a traditional laptop angle (also similar to the Surface RT kickstand), and another more banked angle where the stand is reversed, where the user is either not using a keyboard, or is using the on-screen keyboard. It’s a great stand, and works with numerous devices, not just iPads. The stand is light in weight, but durable, very versatile, and (a point proudly made by my friend who has spent so much of his personal time to perfect this product) even made in the United States. The Nimblstand is now available from nimblstand.com and sells for $49.95 for the stand, or $66.95, for the stand and an included Wacom Bamboo stylus (Apple bluetooth keyboard sold separately).