Tablet Insight: Online Videos Killed the Desktop TV Star

Early this autumn, comScore, Inc., a leader in researching the digital life of consumers, showed that 182 million U.S. Internet users are watching 19.5 hours per viewer of online video content. With the average video watching time clocking in at 5.3 minutes, that’s a lot of YouTube jamming.

At the end of November, Ooyala, the provider of online video technology and services, followed up the initial comScore report, focusing on video watching by tablet users. They found that for each 1 minute of video watched on a desktop, tablet users watched 1:17 minutes. This totals up to about 30 percent longer than the desktop average. So, how are people casing out this extended watching time?

Keeping the TV watching tradition

Do you have a tablet for just a short time and already miss watching films in the living room? Just because people are watching more videos on tablets some still want to continue the communal viewing experience. A few tablet case brands have been making wall mount cases for your tablet so you can easily load a video and put it up—almost like having a plasma screen!

If you are more into the DIY culture and have some time on your hands, then this video will talk you through building your own wall mount:

Still at the desk?

iPad users who are slowly moving away from desktop computers but still sitting at a table do well with a tablet stand case . Usually these stands are integrated into the case so it props up the tablet and gives a great open frame. One of the top rated stands at Tablet2Cases.com is from iFrogz and Moshi. Best of all, they are usable in the office, at the café, in the classroom or on a plane.

On the couch with your feet up

But one of the best things about owning a tablet is that you are not chained to a desk or even to a clunky laptop (who would thought that we’d be writing that five years ago?). So a case stand might not be your first choice if you are cradling the tablet in your hands and looking for some comfort. Put up your feet and browse your friends’ GoogleVid favorites and YouTube uploads with a simple tablet protector that has some extra grip so your tablet won’t slip off couch. I recommend the TPU cases —not as sticky as silicone but still having plenty of grip.

Back to the future

Some tablet users are taking their cases into their own hands. One Japanese Apple iPad user transformed his old Macintosh Classic into a retro tablet stand. If you have an old computer at home, why not recycle and check out how to make this stand:



If you dig the vintage look but don’t have the time to make a retro Mac stand, then here’s a new case that combines the old and the new: the Etch-a-Sketch iPad 2 case. Popping your tablet into an Etch-a-Sketch case gives the tablet that old, nostalgic feel of twisting knobs to make bizzaro designs—just don’t shake your tablet to get rid of the picture.



Final food for thought: choose your case carefully—you’ll be spending 30% more time watching videos with it!

Tablet Insight is a weekly column by Thomas Andersen that focuses on the innovative tablet uses and considers what is the most compatible and necessary tablet case.