It’s the Achilles’ heel of the iPad.The ergonomics of Apple’s tablet are “like a bar of soap,” says Spencer Houser, a product engineer at Houser Works in Portland, Ore. “The HandStand changes that.”

Photo By Luke Abafy

The HandStand makes it easy to hold an iPad at the jobsite or in a meeting.

The HandStand, an iPad case from Houston-based Hub International LLC, minimizes the chances of dropping an iPad. A semi-hardened rubber iPad case with a handle, the HandStand ergonomically secures the iPad to the user’s hand, gripping it with an elastic cuff so that the device doesn’t have to be held. A “finger ledge” for easy handling also doubles as a base when the iPad is in a horizontal position.

“We really want to improve the efficiencies of people’s lives,” says Jaime Smith, Hub International president. “We’re focused on the vertical industry.”

On the back of the case, built into the plastic, is a 5-in.-dia hard-plastic rotating disk that allows the iPad to spin 360�. The two long sides of the case have ridges to provide a grip when the user’s hand isn’t secured by the elastic band.

Some reviewers complained that the volume buttons are hard to press and that the charger is difficult to plug in when the case is on. We disagree.

Hub International also released a new version of the HandStand for the iPad 2. For $49.95, the HandStand provides a comfortable way to use the iPad at the jobsite. Further, Houser points out that it helps keep the body clean in an environment where dirty hands are the rule, not the exception.