Design
If I could only use one word to describe the Stump, I would go with simple. The simplicity of this stand, however, is what makes it so great. The Stump's basic design gives it a small, low-profile appearance yet still maintains its effectiveness at holding your iPad or other portable device. I had originally assumed that the Stump was very lightweight, at just a ½ pound, but it's actually pretty burdensome. Even though this weight is used to keep the stand sturdy and supported, you still can't discard the fact that it is heavy.
The Stump is made of a rubber-like material. As an ice hockey enthusiast, the black Stump immediately caught my attention because of its similarities in appearance and feel to that of a hockey puck. Stump adds that it feels like a rubber duck or a ball of elastics. If black isn't your preference, you can also get the Stump in blue, light gray, lime green, or pink. Stump mentions that there are other colors available if you're creating your own custom Stump.
The versatility of the Stump comes from its ability to be used in three different viewing angles. For starters, the ramp position is where your device rests flat on the front of Stump. In the lean position, your device is placed on the top step of the Stump's groove. In the upright position, your device is placed on the bottom step of the Stump's groove. Each position offers a wide variety of uses:
Ramp Position: Typing, Emailing, Safari (Web Browsing)
Lean Position: Movies, Videos, Reading eBooks, Gaming
Upright Position: Gaming, Safari, Charging
Protection
The Stump stand isn't designed to offer the protective capabilities of a case, so it wouldn't be fair to give this aspect a score. Instead, rather than judging how the Stump protects your device against exterior conditions, we'll take a look at how protective the Stump is itself when using it with your iPad or other device.
On that note, the Stump's soft rubber exterior ensures that you won't scratch or abrade your device. It also keeps your device elevated off of a flat surface which provides an additional element of protection. Plus, you can use your iPad or another device inside of a case as long as the device maintains a thickness of less than ½ an inch.