Conspicuously missing from the Canadian iPad launch has been the Luxa2 H4 Mobile Holder, an aluminum stand with adjustable arms capable of firmly holding any tablet-sized device including the Apple iPad and Kindle DX. Of all the first generation accessories that have hit the market in the wake of the iPad frenzy, the H4 is by far the best designed and the most helpful, allowing you to properly use your large display as a desktop reference screen, kitchen recipe book, entertainment centre, or gaming table. Expected to reach stores sometime later this year, I write this early review in the hopes of giving retailers a kick in the pants to make that date come sooner than later.

Most iPad stands and docks make the mistake of thinking about the iPad as a giant iPhone. They’re either limited to holding the device in portrait mode or prevent you from using your iPad while charging. When you have a mobile screen that is 9.7” in size you’re going to use it as a photo album or music centre, as a kitchen cookbook or even as a desktop movie screen. What’s needed is a mobile stand that can support the iPad in any position it’s tilted in to adapt through all those different needs.

The H4 does this perfectly. It has six adjustable arms that open wide, ready for embrace. As you push your iPad into the stand, it rests against a silicon pad that grips it in place and when you close the six arms, their rubber pins seize and firmly hold the screen by the sides. Once gripped you can turn the screen to almost any position; horizontal, vertical, upside down, flat like a table, it doesn’t matter, it’ll hold. The only angle it won’t pivot is from side-to-side, but then the stand itself is easy to turn that way.

A simple, mechanical slot joint hinge delivers all the pivoting action and it’s both silent and wonderfully malleable like modeling clay. You can pivot the screen in slight degrees in any direction and it’ll hold. You don’t have to lock it in place, you simply move it and it holds.

The stand itself is constructed out of solid aluminum, meaning it is sturdy, light, and compliments the Apple’s iPad esthetics. There’s no electronics, no capability to charge or sync, but then I argue that’s what USB cables are for and more importantly an iPad stand needs to be mobile to be used from one room to the next. It also has the benefit of making the H4 easy to recycle.

So here’s how I have been using the H4 during my test period.

For music I will connect my iPad to my sound system and set it in the stand in a central area so that guests can access it to choose their own songs.

I’ll turn it to landscape mode and place it on a coffee table or dresser to display photo slideshows or the weather.

On my desk with the screen tilted vertically I like to place it next to my laptop to display my Twitter feed for easy reference of in-coming messages and quick access to apps like Dragon Dictation for notes.

In the kitchen the stand keeps the screen up off of the counter’s messes while giving access to recipe apps and e-mail.

For video games I’ll sit down, tilt the screen upwards at an angle and tuck the stand under my legs, giving me support to tap and play games with greater accuracy.

I can also tilt the screen all the way back until it rests like a tabletop and use it with apps like Game Table to play Chess or Reversi, Virtuoso to play it like a piano, or to better explore Google Earth.

While the marketing around the H4 is heavily aimed at the iPad, the stand works well as a reference stand for those who like to load their Kindles with PDF manuals and can hold any book-sized object from signs, placards, and canvases. No matter what goes in, it’s gripped firmly and easily removed.

My theory as to why most stores did not include the H4 in their initial iPad launch is that it’s larger box takes up more shelf space than the polystyrene cases and white docks that many retailers have been quick to carry. It is, however, the only satisfying dock or stand solution. Priced at $60 at manufacturer Luxa2’s website, let’s hope Canadian stores catch up to it before the Fall.