Pros:
• Very strong build quality
• Reliable & long lasting suction
Cons:
• Can be tricky to position correctly
Call me lazy, but if there’s one annoying thing about using a tablet when I want to watch videos, it has to be that arm-numbing feeling I get from having to hold it up the whole time. You know what I’m talking about, right?
Sometimes you just want to kick back, relax and watch a movie or your favourite TV show without needing to actually hold anything!
Well, Octa’s MonkeyTail seems to be the answer we’ve been waiting for. It’s a 36-inch long tablet stand or “positioning system” that works with Octa’s Vacuum Dock (comes included) to grip to the back of your tablet using a suction pad.
MonkeyTail
If the build quality alone counts for anything, the Octa MonkeyTail is worth every penny of Octa’s $70 (£60) asking price. It’s heavy, strong and feels extremely well made; all of which are assuring since the MonkeyTail is going to have my precious iPad Mini dangled in mid-air!
The combined weight of the MonkeyTail and Vacuum Dock is considerable at around 800g, so while it may not be ideal for travelling light the two can be detached, so you can at least make it nice and compact when you do need to take it away.
What’s admirable about the MonkeyTail is its sheer strength; you can twist and bend it without any worries about weakening it. Paired with its 36-inch length, you can easily adjust the MonkeyTail in to any position you need and rest assured that it’ll stay in place.
There isn’t too much to talk about on the design front, except that it’s wrapped in a good looking grippy silicone, making it comfortable to handle when you’re bending it in to place.
Suction Pad
As you can probably tell from the photo above, the Vacuum Dock does attract dust and hair a little too easily, but I found that wiping it with a damp cloth takes care of that.
Once you connect the MonkeyTail to the Vacuum Dock, setting up your tablet is super easy. You just need to push your tablet in to the suction pad until it has a firm enough grip, then you turn the locking mechanism behind the suction pad, that’s it.
The suction itself is very impressive; I’ve used the MonkeyTail over the last few weeks and my iPad stays in place for hours on end without any signs of losing grip. In fact, it had so much grip that there would be times at the end of my day when I had to practically yank my iPad off!
The MonkeyTail’s swivelling 360-degree rotation feature was very useful too; being able to easily change my iPad’s orientation without needing to make big adjustments to the setup is really convenient. It holds its orientation well, so when you set your tablet at a certain angle it stays that way.
Octa MonkeyTail: Verdict
The Octa MonkeyTail is a very simple tablet stand, and that’s a good thing. It sets out to help you to use your tablet in ways you couldn’t before, and Octa have done a fantastic job in making sure it does just that in a secure, safe and reliable way.
While the $70 (£60) price tag isn’t the most palatable for what is essentially a tablet stand, it’s a reflection of the high quality product that the MonkeyTail is. If you see yourself making use of it, then the Octa MonkeyTail is going to be worth every penny.
ORDER FROM AMAZON U.K. ORDER FROM AMAZON U.S.
Gallery
