When I prepare to write a review of an iPhone or iPad product, I usually try to use the product extensively for several days or weeks, but then the app or accessory often goes to the shelf. The products that I really love, and can give my highest recommendation, are the ones that I continue to use long after my review is written. A perfect example of a product that I have continued to use is the GorillaMobile Yogi for the original iPad which I reviewed early this year. In fact, that product is so great that I continued to use the unit with my iPad 2 even though it was an imperfect fit and the buttons didn't line up correctly.
A few weeks ago, Joby released an updated version of the GorillaMobile Yogi for the iPad 2. Joby sent me a free sample of the product for review, and I find that it includes everything I loved about the original Yogi. You adjust the legs into any position to prop up your iPad on your desk or any other surface at any angle you want, either in portrait or landscape mode. You can also bend the legs around an object to hold the iPad in a position.
What makes the second generation Yogi different is that it molded to be an exact fit for for the thinner iPad 2. Putting an iPad 2 in the new Yogi is effortless. Removing the iPad 2 from the new Yogi takes a little more work, but just a few seconds. I actually find that with the new Yogi it is even easier to get the iPad in and out; I'm not sure if this is because Joby did something special in this second generation or if it just a result of the iPad 2 itself being thinner with curved edges. When the iPad is in the Yogi, it is very secure.
The new Yogi also has a hole for the back-facing camera. I don't use the back camera on my iPad 2 very much, but it is worth mentioning that the Yogi is perfect for the using FaceTime on an iPad 2 with the front facing camera. Instead of wearing out your arm trying to hold out the iPad at the perfect position, you can attach your iPad to almost anything — such as the back of a chair in a hotel room — and then have a "hands free" FaceTime chat with the iPad held at the right height and angle.
I also find that when I want to hold my iPad in my hands for an extended period of time, such as to read and highlight a deposition or a long brief, it is nice to put the iPad in the Yogi and wrap the Yogi around my hand for a strong grip. This vastly reduces the risk of the iPad slipping out of my hands.
There are slight differences between the clip on the legs of the prior model and this new model so you cannot interchange the legs from the original Yogi and this new Yogi. But just like the original model, the legs easily clip on and off. Not only does this make it easy to switch the legs from a portrait to a landscape position, but it is also good to break down the Yogi for easier storage during travel.
Whether you want to prop up your iPad at a good angle at your desk. put it in a comfortable position on your lap or in bed while you watch a movie, or attach the iPad to another object by wrapping the legs around it, the GorillarPad Yogi by Joby is an incredibly useful product. The original Yogi was worth the $50 price, and the new model is well worth the reduced price of $40.
[UPDATE 3/18/2012: I tried the Yogi for iPad 2 with the new third generation iPad. It just barely fits — the case is tight, but it does work. I suspect that Joby will release an updated version of the Yogi just to have a little more tolerance, but if you need to use the Yogi for iPad 2 with your brand new iPad, it does seem to work.]
Click here to get GorillaMobile Yogi by Joby from Amazon ($39.99)
Click here to get the GorillaMobile Yogi from the manufacturer ($39.99)
