Pukk — how I use this thing

Erik Kittlaus
Jul 23, 2017 · 3 min read

In the kitchen. On the desktop. In the bedroom.

(This post was written as an extension to the Pukk Kickstarter campaign)

At first glance, Pukk impacts with its stark minimal form. It looks like an angled tablet hovering over a grey hockey puck, no?

Why? Because zero clamps.

Magnetic attachment along its backside frees up all four edges of the device for a clean, lofted experience.

In the early going I went the opposite direction. I built prototypes with clamps—as lean, tight and minimal as I could muster, fully believing it was the elegant solution.

The idea of attaching a permanent plate to the backside of my iPad was anathema to me because…well, permanence. If I can’t pull it off, I feel it somehow devalues my iPad.

Later, when I discovered non-permanent tape (removable with hot air dryers) I rethunk it. And decided to test it out.

So I built a prototype. Employing backside magnets, to see how it felt. Here’s how it feels -

And the ball joint. Grabbing hold of the edge of the device — swinging, twisting, orienting…it’s a smooth, buttery experience — the roll of the ball in the cup. And holds firmly in place when you let go.

With attachment there’s no fussing with clamps. Just a reach out to the landing pad culminating with a magnetic “click.” Can’t stress enough what a superior experience this is.

On my phone I won’t attach a thing. Ever the minimalist I have always eschewed cases. Until last year. I cracked my first screen and reverted to using the ultra thin Peel case…where I now sandwich the steel plate between the phone and the case.

I like this. It’s like a hard layer of skin that gets out of the way (and maintains the integrity of) the phone design. And with the embedded steel plate in there I can stick it places. Where magnets reside.

Use cases

I listen to TED talks and podcasts in the kitchen while prepping meals. The screen moves with me as I move around the island. With the spin of the ball in its cup.

On my desk I use Pukk off to the left side of my laptop. Hosting twitter streams (portrait mode), podcasts…and the like.

Some of the time I mount my phone on the opposite side with my other Pukk. Pulling the phone from my pocket and just lay it down. With the screen angled flush to my eyeballs.

When I want to be connected outdoors I sometimes bring it out on my deck. It’s hefty enough to resist all but the heftiest of wind gusts which gives me confidence I can make runs inside without worry it’ll topple over.

In bed I sometimes lie on my side, head on pillow, with Pukk on the night stand off to the left. A swivel of the ball joint allows me to match the angle of my iPad to the angle of my head lying on the pillow. Watching Netflix or Hulu.

Which means I use my iPad more now as a result.

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