We’ve seen more than a few gadgets and interesting tech related products come across our desks here at Techaeris. Our FODI review takes a look at a paper thin, multi-purpose stand for your smartphone, tablet, book, laptop, and more which takes advantage of origami, the traditional Japanese art form of paper folding.
Specifications
FODI has the following features and specifications:
- Polypropylene fibre paper construction
- 1mm thick
- Weighs only 40g (0.08lbs)
- Holds up to 20kg(44lbs)
- Water and stain-resistant
- 240mm x 114mm
- Multiple colour/design styles
What’s in the box
- FODI multi-purpose origami stand
- 2x (one set) magnetic buckles
Design
The FODI multi-purpose origami stand looks like a slightly thick piece of paper with a total of 16 fold line grooves. FODI is manufactured from a patented polypropylene fibre paper that offers a stronger texture than regular paper and is also stain and water resistant.
The final FODI stands will also come with a pair of magnetic buckles (unfortunately these weren’t included with our review sample) which allow you to clip around your charging cables and attach to the stand for some extra cable management. While we were unable to review them, there shouldn’t be any issues with them sticking to the FODI stand as we did test the ability to be magnetized with some magnets we had lying around.
Our review sample came in their bamboo style and it is also available in Black or White Marble, Walnut, Green or Blue Ink, and various stretch goal patterns including Galaxy Splash, Black Snow, and the Kickstarter Exclusive pattern.
Honestly, there’s not much to the design itself — after all, sometimes simplicity is best.
Ease of Use
While our FODI sample didn’t come with folding instructions, it was really easy to figure out and it can be folded in two different ways for use in three different scenarios. Once folded, simply place your smartphone, tablet, or laptop on the stand. It really is as simple as that.
Performance
FODI claims the stand can hold up to 44lbs (20kg) with ease. During testing, we used it a bit as a smartphone stand but considering I use a laptop and a second screen felt that it’d be more useful there. I tested it out with a couple of laptops, one weighing about 10 pounds (4.5kg), and the other weighing around 6.6lbs (3.3kg). In both cases, there were no issues with FODI supporting the weight and even when pushing down on the laptop to provide some extra force, the stand didn’t even move.
While it works great for a smartphone or tablet stand, I found the best use out of it was with my laptop. Anyone who uses a laptop with an external monitor knows that it can be a pain to get the screens up to the same height. The moment I put the FODI stand under my laptop, the difference in viewing angles, posture, and viewability was noticeable. With the bottom of both screens aligned, I no longer felt like I was looking down while looking at my laptop and looking up while looking at the additional screen.
Not only that, being slightly elevated increases the airflow under your laptop allowing it to remain cooler during use.
Price/Value
FODI is set to have an MSRP of $20 USD per stand once the already funded Kickstarter campaign ends. Currently, you can back one for around $14 USD, or double up and save even more. While that may seem like a lot for a folded piece of paper, it’s definitely a solid, lightweight, and easy to use device stand. That being said, your traditional laptop stand can go for much more and isn’t nearly as versatile or portable as the FODI stand is.
Wrap-up
The FODI multi-purpose origami stand is a lightweight, versatile, easy to use stand that supports your devices from smartphones to tablets and laptops with ease — and with a touch of style.
