Display Pictures, Watch Videos, and more with the miFrame iPad 2 Dock
The miFrame by Striped Sail is an elegant docking solution available for both the iPad and the iPad 2. This stylish stand doubles as a picture frame for displaying photos and videos, plus it allows you to charge your iPad at the same time, in both landscape and portrait mode.
While the miFrame is advertised as an alternative to a digital photo frame, for sharing pictures and slideshows with friends and family, I found a wide variety of uses for it. Use the miFrame as a stand for watching TV and movies, playing games, displaying recipes in the kitchen, and so much more. It’s perfect for every room in the house.
Construction and Components
The miFrame has four essential components that come with it: base, cradle/backing, frame, and acrylic photo cover.
Its base and frame are made from solid, sturdy aluminum. This is not an ultra-light stand, but that’s a good thing because it means your iPad is completely secure and not at risk of being knocked over while in the frame. The frame and the stand are available in either silver or black, both of which complement the black and white iPad 2 very well.
The backing is made from a shiny, black polycarbonate and has a dock at the bottom of it where the iPad plugs in, further ensuring that your iPad isn’t going anywhere. An extra long USB cord (5 ft) at the bottom of the cradle allows you to plug the dock into the wall for charging, either plugged in to your iPad charger or to your computer. I found that the cord easily reached my outlets from my desk, and remained unobtrusive hidden behind it.
When the iPad is not in the frame, the acrylic photo cover can be placed in the stand with any 8×10 photograph, so it’s never an empty eyesore.
Style
The miFrame looks great sitting casually at my desk, and it’s perfect for a work environment as well. This iPad dock would be excellent to use at meetings, presentations, and conferences.
Both the black and the silver look streamlined and elegant, but I particularly preferred the contrast of the black with my white iPad, and received several compliments when showing it off.
Even when my iPad wasn’t in the miFrame, substituting a photo made it look like a standard photo frame. I love that it never looks like a random accessory – it’s always functional, and always looks great. It blends right in.
Functionality
I was impressed with how easy it was to put my iPad into the frame and to remove it again. The frame snaps on and off, allowing the iPad to be quickly plugged in to the dock. There’s no hassle when you want to take it out – just pop off the frame, grab it, and go.
The entire frame and cradle slide easily into the base, so switching orientation from portrait to landscape and back again is a simple task. My cable provider, Time Warner, allows me to stream TV shows to my iPad, and I loved having the miFrame on my desk while I was working on other things. The frame is really the ideal angle for video and movie viewing.
I also set it up as a music station and nightlight/clock in my bedroom, which was handy as an alarm and for listening to music and podcasts. I often use my iPad to look up recipes when I cook, so I even tried the miFrame out in the kitchen, as a stand to hold it up while I read the recipe. It was great, because I didn’t have to touch my iPad with my fingers, saving it from getting marred with food.
And of course, I showed it off as a digital photo frame, syncing photos to my iPad and setting up a slideshow. As you can see, I found it to be perfect for a little light gaming, and set it up so I could monitor my Tiny Tower while I worked. Finally, I used it as a second computer/monitor to look things up on my iPad. With the miFrame, I was able to read from it while working on my main computer. While I was doing all of this, my iPad remained charged, ready to go, and entirely accessible.
I mentioned above that this is a sturdy stand, and I just wanted to reiterate that point. It’s got a wide base and I felt confident that with my iPad locked into the dock, covered with the frame, and set up on the base, that it was safe and secure on my desk. This is not a stand that is going to fall over or get knocked down easily.
Verdict
If you’re looking for a polished, refined stand that’s perfect for a wide variety of environments, then you won’t go wrong with the miFrame. It’s sturdily constructed, and can function in so many ways that you’re sure to find use after use for it. Whether you want to watch TV and movies, use it to enhance your workflow, take it to meetings and presentations, or simply use it to display photos, this is a stand that can do it all.
The miFrame for the iPad 2 will be available on the Striped Sail website on September 19th. If you’re looking for the original version, it’s currently available for purchase for $79.00 on the website. For more information, you can check out these videos tutorials which explain how the miFrame works.
