Whether you are using an iPad to review depositions or during a presentation in court, you need a good way to hold it. Just holding the iPad in your hand gets tiring after a while, and it can easily slip out of your hand while you are walking around. A solution is to use a device that acts as an iPad case but also includes a handle of some sort on the back. I have previously reviewed the FreeOneHand, an iPad holder designed for this purpose, and I also reviewed the GorillaMobile Yogi which does a good job of letting you hold the iPad while you are reading it (just wrap the legs around your hand or hold on to the legs). The HandStand 2 by Hub International is a case for the iPad 2 that includes a strap on the back making it easy to keep the iPad 2 in your hand. (This review is of the HandStand 2 for the iPad 2, but there is also a HandStand for the original iPad.)
The HandStand is made of molded polyurethane, a strong but flexible material that holds up to abuse but makes it easy to grip around the iPad. The HandStand includes cut-outs on the side for all of the iPad's buttons and on the back for the camera. HandStand does not protect the glass front of the iPad, although you can always add a screen cover if you are looking for full iPad protection. Having said that, if you place the iPad face down when it is in the Handstand, the edges of the HandStand will touch the surface instead of the iPad's glass, so that does provide some minor protection to the front. I reviewed the black version, but it also comes in white or pink.
If you simply sit the HandStand with an iPad on a table, the HandStand props up the iPad at an angle that makes it easier to type.
But the real purpose of the HandStand is not to just be a cover or to prop up the iPad on a table. The key feature here is how the HandStand makes your iPad a natural extension of your hand. The back of the HandStand has an ABS plastic pad that is raised at one part so that your fingers curve around it. And then an elastic strap holds your hand firmly against the pad. As a result, you can walk around with your hand either raised up or down at your side and the iPad is going to stay right there in your hand.
One nice feature is that the plastic pad on the back of the HandStand rotates. Thus, you can easily put your iPad in either portrait or landscape mode — or pretty much any other angle. It is easy to spin the iPad into a position, and then once in that position it stays in that position until you spin it again.
If you are standing up and want your iPad to stay firmly in your hand without any risk of slipping out, the HandStand works great. I haven't yet had an opportunity to use the HandStand in court, and I'm not completely sold on the idea of keeping an iPad in my hand while I am talking to a judge or a jury. I have frequently used an iPad at a table or podium in court, but I don't know about walking around with the iPad. But if this is something that you want to do, the HandStand works great.
I most appreciate an easy way to hold the iPad when I am sitting in a chair reading documents on my iPad. Reading hundreds of pages of depositions or cases on an iPad takes time and can really wear out your hand and arm. The HandStand does keep the iPad attached to your hand without you having to use any effort to hold the iPad, which is good. Having said that, I prefer using the FreeOneHand to hold the iPad when I'm sitting. In part this is because the FreeOneHand extends further out to the back of the iPad making it more comfortable for me to hold the iPad. Another reason that the HandStand is less comfortable for this purpose is a result of the design of the HandStand; keeping the iPad on my flat hand is more tiring to my hand and arm than keeping my hand into a more natural, "handshake" pose which I can use to hold the FreeOneHand or even the GorillaMobile Yogi. Having said that, with the FreeOneHand or the Yogi, your iPad can drop out of your hand if you let go; the advantage of the HandStand is that it keeps the iPad firmly attached to your hand. The iPad isn't going anywhere when you use the HandStand.
If you are looking for a way to keep an iPad firmly in your hand, the HandStand does the job. I wish it were even more comfortable when sitting down, but this was somewhat less of a problem for me when I am standing. And the HandStand is sturdy and well-constructed, essential qualities for any product that you are going to depend on to stop an iPad from slipping out of your hand and crashing to the floor. The HandStand retails for $49.95, but you can save a few bucks if you buy it on Amazon.