I remember the first time I saw the HTC EVO 4G. My brother bought the phone within the first week that it came out, and he loved to show off this boldly large device with its 4.3-inch display and its miraculous 4G splendor to anybody who would listen.
I thought the whole thing was just ridiculous.
I couldn't tell you what device I owned at the time, but I know it was something considerably smaller than that monster. I remember guffawing at its size and telling him that such a fad would never catch on, no matter how many cool features the device had. He laughed at me and told me I was wrong. As any big brother or big sister probably knows, he was right and I was wrong.
But aside from its size, the HTC EVO had a majorly under-appreciated feature; a feature that I would only truly appreciate once I eventually caved and got the device for myself: a metal kickstand on the back of the device.
I loved that kickstand. It was solidly attached to the back and functioned quite well. As somebody who watched a lot of YouTube videos (and later Netflix) on my phone, the kickstand ended up being one of the most useful features of my EVO 4G. It was so convenient just to prop it up on my nightstand and watch a show before bed; additionally, it made for an excellent side-table alarm clock.
Little did I know that the feature I loved most would be the feature that would hardly make an appearance down the line, save for a couple of exceptions (like the HTC EVO 4G LTE). As I see more and more smartphones heading into 5-inch plus screen territory, I sometimes wonder why nobody uses kickstands anymore. Were they really that niche?
I think I'm mostly baffled because I thought the kickstand was good stuff when all I had was YouTube and Netflix, but now there are a plethora of media consumption apps to use on our phones. Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Kodi, TED, Crackle, Showbox, HBO, ESPN, VUDU, and Sling are some of the popular streaming apps on the market today. And with programs like T-Mobile’s Binge On now available (or if you're just connected to a Wi-Fi network and want to settle down for a night of television binging) who really wants to hold a device for that long? Nobody, that's who. While TV projection is a good solution to this problem, a kickstand is also a good solution for those times when you don't have a TV near you.
And what about gaming? Smartphone gaming seems to really be taking off lately. Even Nintendo is cashing in at this point. Many games allow you to pair controllers with your phone for a "traditional" gaming experience. But if you're holding a controller, what are you supposed to do with your phone? Some controllers come with a phone mount, but not all of them do. A kickstand would be great in this situation!
It's true that most major smartphones have one or two cases on the market that feature a kickstand, but I have yet to find a case that had as solid of a kickstand as my old EVO. It was also nice that I didn't have to choose my case based on whether it had a kickstand or not – cases were built around the built-in kickstand.
I don't expect kickstands to make a comeback, but I do think that it was a fad that died out too early. Especially considering how big smartphones are today.