Bracketron JamSpot tablet stand review

Aside from my smartphone, my tablet is the device I use most. I use it to watch movies, read books, listen to music, make purchases, etc.; hardly a day goes by when I don’t use my tablet.

I often run into two problems when using my tablet. One, the volume isn’t always sufficient for me to hear. Two, I can’t always find an optimal viewing angle when reading or watching a movie. I was recently given the chance to review the Bracketron JamSpot, an adjustable tablet stand with integrated speakers. Hopefully, it can resolve my problems.

In the box

• JamSpot tablet stand
• USB charging cord
• Instructions

Design

When not in use, the JamSpot folds up for easy storage. It measures 8″ L x 3″ W by 1.75″ H. It has two speakers which can provide sound via Bluetooth or auxiliary input.

When you want to use the JamSpot, you separate the arms and raise the back. The arms can be adjusted to various widths, depending on the size of your tablet; the back can be adjusted to your preferred viewing angle.

The side of the JamSpot contains a USB charging port, the power button, an auxilary input, a play/pause button, and an indicator light. The indicator light glows red when charging, green when charged, and flashes green when powered up.

Performance

The first step to testing the JamSpot was setting it up; this was extremely easy. As soon as I turned it on it entered pairing mode. From there, all I had to do was select it from my tablet’s Bluetooth menu.

Once paired, I placed the tablet on the stand and adjusted the back until I found an optimal viewing angle. There is no trick to adjusting the stand, the back easily moves into any position you desire. I started streaming a movie and the audio immediately began playing through the JamSpot’s speakers.

Generally, when streaming a movie, I have to keep the volume at max so I can hear it properly. When I connected my tablet to the JamSpot, the volume was already at max from previous use. When the audio from the movie began to play, I almost jumped out of my seat because it was so loud. In fact, the volume was so loud, I had to lower the sound on my tablet to about 50%. Despite how loud the audio was, I didn’t hear any distortion or static.

I also used the JamSpot to stream music. For the most part, sound was very clear; however, I raised the volume to max and found there is some static in the background. Additionally, the bass sounded a bit distorted.

Despite these issues, you could still get away with using the JamSpot to play music at a small party or BBQ. Unless you are gathering a group of music critics, neither issue is so great that your guests should really take notice. That being said, I found max volume to be too loud; the volume I preferred produced very good sound.

Bracketron claims the JamSpot has a ten hour battery life. I watched movies and streamed music over the course of several days without recharging it. At one point, I used the JamSpot for almost eight straight hours. I’d like to tell you an exact amount of time I used the JamSpot for, but I lost track; however, I can say with confidence I got over ten hours of use.

I only discovered one other issue while testing the JamSpot. It doesn’t have a mechanism to lock the stand in the position you set it. The weight of the tablet itself won’t cause the JamSpot to change positions; however, a handful of times when adjusting the volume or waking my tablet, the pressure from pushing the buttons altered the stand’s position. This isn’t a huge issue, and one I never experienced when using the touchscreen on the tablet; however, some people may find it irritating.

Conclusion

I realize there isn’t a whole lot to this review, but the JamSpot is a rather straightforward device. It doesn’t have a ton of features, but it does what it does do, it does well. Music aficionados may not find the JamSpot’s sound up to snuff, but for your average person it should be fine.

At $79.99 the JamSpot is a bit pricey. Separately, you could purchase a tablet stand and Bluetooth speaker for half that price; but for me, the convenience of having them integrated in such a compact device is worth the price.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Bracketron. For more information visit their site.