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SETA Or NanoTek: The Only Smartphone Stand You'll Need For the Rest Of Your Life

SETA Or NanoTek: The Only Smartphone Stand You'll Need For the Rest Of Your Life

July 2, 2013
Just over a month ago we told you about the SETA stand, a minimalistic and elegant smartphone stand that uses NanoSuction technology to hold your phone in place. Well, we were able to get our hands on one a little early, and with only one week left in the Kickstarter campaign, we wanted to tell you what we thought, so you could back it too if it struck your fancy. Then we realized the very same stand, going by the name NanoTek Desk Mount by Bracketron, is available at your local Best Buy.

What the hell happened?

Why, before the Kickstarter campaign is even finished, are these available in stores to the public? That’s exactly what we were wondering. It was a little puzzling to say the least. After doing some more research, it seems that Bashaw, who started the project on Kickstarter, sold the idea to Bracketron early this year and, well … Bracketron worked a lot faster than Bashaw thought they would. Some backers are upset, and rightfully so. Though I don’t think Bashaw meant to snub his backers, it seems his plan to get the stand to the public in a bigger way kind of backfired. So, good news for some of you, I guess: If you don’t want to wait for the Kickstarter project to finish and the product to actually be shipped, and don’t mind paying $10 more, head on over to your local Best Buy or purchase one online at any of these retailers. Now that that’s out of the way, on to the actual review. At first glance, I was admittedly not impressed with the SETA. I held it in my hand and thought, “There isn’t much to this thing.” It isn’t fancy looking, but that’s part of its charm. And that, along with its functionality, is exactly won me over in the end.

The good

The SETA stand is affordable, functional, and simple. It’s extremely lightweight and there’s really not much to it. The best part about this stand is that it will not only work with your smartphone now, it will work with your past and future smartphones as well — given they have a flat back. And it won’t go out of style either: The SETA comes in white, black, silver, pink, blue, and red. Currently, it seems Best Buy is only carrying silver; you can also get white, black, or pink from the Kickstarter campaign, but more colors will be available in the near future. I don’t know about you, but my charging cables are strewn all across the floor half of the time. Even if I try to set them nicely on my night stand or desk, they always slide off and end up in my cat’s mouth. But the SETA is designed to aid in relieving the frustration of charging cables falling all over the place. Its T-shaped design will keep your cord in place even when you’re not using it. The NanoSuction technology effortlessly holds your phone in place. Initially, I was timid about sticking my beloved iPhone on this “sticky” surface, but it’s perfect. If the nano pad ever becomes dusty or dirty and seems as if it’s losing its hold on your phone, all you need is some tape. Simply use some clear tape to pick the dust and lint off of it. Alternatively, you can also use a damp cloth and then let it air dry, but the tape method is the one I prefer because it’s ridiculously simple and it just works. And if you don’t go naked — with your phone, silly! — it will even work with most cases. If you pledge on Kickstarter, you’ll get some extra pads, too, which can be used for bigger devices like tablets:
[The NanoSuction] will grip every smartphone we have tested and will grip around 70% of the cases. Unfortunately, it does not work well on silicone rubber cases and some textured ones like the OtterBox and LifeProof (apply the extra SETA pad and they do work). The base of the stand will grip any smooth, non-textured surface. Since it does not work with every application each SETA comes with an extra NanoSuction™ pad to peel and stick on the back of your case or on your surface, thus eliminating the need to remove your phone from its case.
Kind of makes you want to stick these all over your house, right?

The bad

I’m actually struggling to find something bad about the SETA stand. I suppose the fact that it won’t work with all cases, though expected, is the biggest downside. Another would be that they don’t currently come in all of the colors shown. The SETA also doesn’t currently come in a tablet-friendly version, but that is something else planned for the future, according to the Kickstarter page. I do wish it could fold up, though. Then it would be more travel-friendly.

Our advice

If you need a stand, this is a very affordable option. Especially since they come in many colors and should work with nearly every smartphone you get. So, it’s up to you, folks: You can pledge as little as $25 to get a SETA smartphone stand on Kickstarter and wait for the campaign to end and the stand to be shipped to you, or you can snag one from Best Buy ($34.99) or another retailer ($30 and up) now. I guess the only question is: Are you a penny pincher or are you impatient? I can’t blame you for either.

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