A while ago I bought a SurfShelf for my treadmill, thinking I could use my computer on the treadmill. Well, it never felt secure enough for me to run and watch a movie on it… but it was stable enough to walk and read some emails.

The people that created the SurfShelf recently sent me the Zhip to try out. It’s supposed to be a similar type product to the SurfShelf, but geared toward mobile devices. So you can securely attach your mobile to an exercise machine without worry about it flying off.

But you’re not confined to using it on fitness devices… it can be used in a car to keep someone in the backseat entertained or it can be used to prop up the device on a table or counter top. I actually kind of liked propping it up on the counter in the kitchen… I frequently pull up recipes on my iPhone or my iPad… this was an easy way to prop the phone up for viewing.

Depending on your cabinet pulls, you could even use the retractable cord to suspend the Zhip even higher up!

The Zhip is pretty small and folds down to a fairly compact unit.

I do wish that I could rotate the stand so I could prop my phone up horizontally or vertically on my desk. I also tried using it in my car as a way of holding my phone up a little more… but it just slid around in there. So… it’s not for car DRIVER use! 🙂 It’s got a really tight grip on the phone once it’s in… which does make it a little tough to get the phone in, but increases the security that your device is secure.

The Zhip retails for $14.95.

Legalese: The Zhip was provided to me for free for the purpose of review. The opinions here are my own.