Most of the small electronics cannot be free-standing which in this case are the cell phones. What are the tricks of making them stand up? I'm currently working on shooting the iPad and iPhones. Thanks.
I have many times in this situation have cut a piece of cardboard to make a stand and tape it to the side your not taking a picture of
Often I will use hot glue and a small stand behind the subject. In almost all cases hot glue wont hurt your product and will peel right off once your done.
There's also a product called "museum wax", a tacky substance used to position items for display. The wax doesn't leave a residue, hence is perfect for museum use! Looks like eBay has it for ~ $10 for 2 ounces...
Our photographer is a such a genius! Our client need the iPad to be photographed in 360 degrees at 0 degrees elevation. The product will need to spin therefore we cannot have anything supporting it and it has to be upright. Our photographer used a pair of fishing lines and a gaffer's tape to make it upright and used a double sided tape on the bottom to secure it. As our robotic turntable is turning, it took all 72 shots around the product. Amazing!