Nikki Braziel

Chief Operating Officer

Nikki Braziel is a writer, organizer, and entrepreneur. With Prometheus Trotsky, she co-founded Octa, where she is currently serving as Chief Operating Officer. She is writing the great American novel by night.

Nikki's latest posts

Monkey Kit is Steady Tablet Stand, Says TechnologyTell

February 4, 2013

Stanley Goodner of TechnologyTell says that the TabletTail: Monkey Kit puts the “mobile” back in mobile device use! This tablet stand works in bed, on the couch, in the car, or on an exercise machine. It bends and flexes for stabile use anywhere you might need a tablet stand.

Get this flexible tablet positioning system for $80 on Kickstarter or for $99 when it’s officially available in April.

TabletTail: Monkey Kit Will Hold Your iPad Steady Anywhere

by Nikki Braziel in Media Mentions

Octa Launches TabletTail: Monkey Kit with Kickstarter Campaign

January 24, 2013

Las Vegas – January 7, 2013 – Octa™ (https://www.octa.com), a creator of innovative tablet accessories, today announced the launch of the TabletTailTM: Monkey Kit on Kickstarter. The company will demonstrate its never-before-seen product at booth #3730 at the 2013 International CES in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The Monkey Kit is a powerful positioning system designed for hands-free tablet use. Flexible and sturdy, it adjusts to a wide variety of heights, angles, positions and situations. It wraps, curls and tucks in place for use in bed, on a couch, in the kitchen, on an exercise machine and in the car.

The Monkey Kit includes two components: the Vacuum Dock and the MonkeyTail. The Vacuum Dock, which was launched as part of the Whale Kit at the company’s 2012 debut, connects to tablets and e-readers using high-powered vacuum suction. Octa began with the technology used by construction workers to lift heavy plate glass, then developed their own patent-pending twist.

Using innovative chambers and seals, they created a Vacuum Dock that attaches to tablets with five easy pumps. Octa continued studying their technology after the launch of the Whale Kit then made a number of refinements to the Vacuum Dock. The upgraded Vacuum Dock will be launched as part of the Monkey Kit, and it features a vacuum seal that can literally stay connected to your tablet for days.

The Vacuum Dock is compatible with all generations of the iPad, as well as many other tablets and e-readers. All the components of the TabletTail line are interchangeable, so both the MonkeyTail and the WhaleTail can be used with the Vacuum Dock.

The Monkey Kit is available at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/octaproducts/monkey-kit-flexible-tablet-positioning-system. The retail MSRP will be $99.99, but Octa is offering a Kickstarter-only early bird special of $80.00. Other Kickstarter-only backer rewards include limited edition color-shifting Vacuum Docks (in spectrum, red/gold and purple/green) and a $10,000 WiFi remote-controlled LED table.

ABOUT OCTA
Octa creates distinctive mobile electronics accessories that make the digital experience more enjoyable. The team includes eight artists and engineers who are passionate about technology. Octa’s co-founders, Prometheus Trotsky and Nikki Braziel, started Octa together in 2010. They maintain a creative environment by combining work and playfulness in their Denver headquarters. Contact Nikki at 720.379.5325 or at nikki@octa.com.

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by Nikki Braziel in Press Releases

Selecting and Setting Up an iPad for the Elderly

June 14, 2012

If you’re celebrating Father’s Day by gifting an elderly person an iPad, Octa has a few tips. Read on to make sure you select the right model. Once you have the iPad in hand, set up a few basics. By optimizing the iPad for the elderly, you’ll help make sure the experience is a success. (more…)

by Nikki Braziel in Tips

From Octa HQ: Let the Banter Begin

May 25, 2012

Here at Octa, our desire to make technology easier extends beyond helping you hold your tablet. While inventing the TabletTail line (of iPad grip and positioning accessories), we asked ourselves how we could become a positive and continuing presence in the lives of our customers. (more…)

by Nikki Braziel in Octa

Octa’s TabletTail Compatible With New iPad, Provides Ultra-Flexible iPad Stand and Handle

March 27, 2012

TabletTail Is Now Available for Mass Shipment

(more…)

by Nikki Braziel in Press Releases

The Highs and Lows of Launching a Tablet, e-Reader & iPad Accessory

January 10, 2012

For the last year and a half, co-founders Prometheus Trotsky and Nikki Braziel (your writer) have been working feverishly to build a business to support the launch of the TabletTail line, a group of interchangeable iPad accessories they invented that work with any tablet or e-reader. Now, we’re on a (very slow-moving) shuttle bus to the Las Vegas Convention Center to ring in 2012 International CES. We have our team with us, wearing Octa shirts, and we’re carrying one very strange package.

Booth 6221 has been its own mini-journey. After securing Quantum Foam 3D reflective wallpaper from a very generous Louise Wakefield at Beware the Moon, we backed the booth in its glow. Then we set about working with Brian Pinkham of PhotonicBliss to design and engineer a suction-reactive LED display table. Finally, we cut a beautiful frosted plexiglass Octa sign. We packed it all in a crate, crossed our fingers and shipped us to CES.

At the Convention Hall on Sunday, we located our booth behind the Great Wall of Moshi, a monolithic and impressive display of iPhone cases and iPad accessories. Our crate was no where to be found. After a bit of searching, we located it misplaced an aisle away. We flagged a forklift driver and started building. LED table intact. Check. Quantum Foam wall secured. Check. OCTA sign? CRACK!!!

Our beautiful sign snapped in two. Scope out Octa on Facebook to see pictures of the saga. It involved a crash-prone taxi driver, getting stranded in suburban Vegas, foam core, spray painting in a parking lot, a bus, an exacto knife, and several Wynn towels covered in green acrylic. Now we’re on the slow bus to the convention hall, carrying our revived sign wrapped in craft paper. We’re ready to share our iPad accessory — the result of our hard work, tenacity and excitement. Look for the Vacuum Dock + WhaleTail, launching today! But first, look for our beautiful repaired sign in booth 6221.

by Nikki Braziel in Octa

Octa Launches at 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show

January 10, 2012

Unveils versatile TabletTail^™ line and signature products – the Vacuum Dock and WhaleTail – to increase mobility and ease of use of tablets and e-readers

Las Vegas – January 10, 2012 – Octa^™ (https://www.octa.com), a creator of tablet and e-reader accessories, today announced the official launch of the company and its TabletTail^™ line. The company will debut its never before seen product at booth #6221 at the 2012 International CES in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center and World Trade Center/Las Vegas Hilton.

Prometheus Trotsky and Nikki Braziel founded the company on the premise of combining technology with forms found in nature to create distinctive tablet and e-reader accessories that suit every lifestyle.

The TabletTail product line is launching with two separate components: the Vacuum Dock and WhaleTail stand. Their compact and agile design compliments the sleek construction of tablets and e-readers and gives users the mobility their lifestyle demands. The Vacuum Dock is a comfortably-shaped grip with a convenient low-angle stand. When attached to the Vacuum Dock, the WhaleTail increases functionality by acting as both a stand with a full range of angles and a handle for tablets and e-readers. Additional docks and tails that are compatible and interchangeable will be released throughout 2012.

“Many tablet accessories are created simply to provide protection, but they don’t extend the functionality of the device,” said COO Nikki Braziel. “Our goal at Octa is to improve the way people use their technology. Our product line is not only universally adaptable to a range of tablets and e-readers, but it also adds usability when you’re on the go. The WhaleTail creates a handle that allows you to safely use your tablet while working, walking, traveling, multi-tasking, reading, or watching a movie.”

Product Highlights:

All-in-one stand and handle solution
Full range of portrait and landscape angles
Vacuum suction attaches securely to your tablet or e-reader for 6+ hours
Lightweight, compact, and mobile
Comfortable handle nestles in palm
Modular Vacuum Dock is compatible with future Octa TabletTail accessories
Currently available in black

The TabletTail is priced at $59.95. It is currently available for pre-order and will be shipped in April 2012. For more information, visit https://www.octa.com.

ABOUT OCTA

Octa creates distinctive mobile electronics accessories that make the digital experience more enjoyable. The creation of Prometheus Trotsky and Nikki Braziel, Octa was born from their combined love of technology and natural form. The team is comprised of a small group of artists, philosophers, and inventors, constantly striving to combine beauty and functionality. They maintain a creative environment by combining work and playfulness in their Denver headquarters.

For more information, visit us at https://www.octa.com.

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by Nikki Braziel in Press Releases

Burning Man, Technology & Time: A Sociological Look at Scheduling

August 24, 2011

This photograph of the art installation "Groovik's Cube" taken at sunset at the Burning Man festival in Black Rock Desert was brought to you in this blog article by Octa, creators of the Monkey Kit iPad stand.

(Photograph Courtesy of Michael Holden)

You may imagine that people who make the annual desert pilgrimage to Burning Man do so to escape their schedules and technology. (more…)

by Nikki Braziel in Culture