The Monkey Kit holds your tablet where you need it

If you've ever wished you had a third hand to hold your Android tablet, Octa's Monkey Kit is something you'll be interested in. Just like that ever so useful appendage hanging from the south end of a Monkey, this tail is flexible yet rigid, holds to almost any shape, and it's suction device grips your tablet even tighter than you do. It's built like a tank from quality materials, looks and feels great, and is super-easy to use.

We've had it here at chez Jerry for about a week, and have found it indispensable for both work and play. It's incredibly handy holding the Nexus 7 with a recipe app open while making a mess  cooking in the kitchen, my wife uses it to display a spreadsheet while she works -- freeing up her second monitor for Facebook, and when the lights go out and I find I can't sleep, a bit of Netflix in bed while the Monkey Kit does it's hands-free magic is the ticket.

It's all done through what Octa calls the Vacuum Dock. Place it on a smooth spot on the back of your tablet and pump it a few times to create a seal -- a really, really tight seal. Using a special cam design, the "tail" locks in place into the Vacuum Dock, making for a three foot long third arm to position your tablet wherever it is you want or need it positioned. It works on almost any tablet -- as long as you have a smooth surface to "stick" it to, you're golden. Having said that, be warned that it doesn't work with the Nexus 10, and for some insane reason known only to Google, it doesn't seal on the white-backed Google I/O edition Nexus 7. The retail Nexus 7, as well as any of the Kindle Fires, Galaxy Tabs, Transformers, or Xooms hold just fine though. 

You're probably asking where do I find out more about this Monkey Kit thingy? That's easy. Visit Octa's Mokney Tail product page, where you can find out everything you need to know and pre order your own Monkey Kit for $99. Hit the break and see a picture gallery of the construction and parts.

Jerry Hildenbrand
Senior Editor — Google Ecosystem

Jerry is an amateur woodworker and struggling shade tree mechanic. There's nothing he can't take apart, but many things he can't reassemble. You'll find him writing and speaking his loud opinion on Android Central and occasionally on Twitter.