Ten of the Best... laptop stands

You've bought a shiny new laptop PC, MacBook or netbook. Pound to a penny, within a day you'll puzzling over one, two or maybe even three things: how can you use it on your knees while watching telly and not get warm lap syndrome? How can you set it at a better typing angle on your desk? And how can you stop the blasted fan from …

[Colonel Panic]

iLap is great

I have an iLap, and its worth every penny. Its comfortable, light and above all it prevents my laptop overheating.

The metal stand, with the air gap it creates,h elps cool the laptop. Before I bought it, I was having problems with the chip overheating if I used the laptop on a soft surface for too long.

[Jon Connell]

Warm lap?

What's this warm lap business? I've had my MacBook sat on my lap for hours editing video and what-not and it's been just fine. I know the first MacBook Pro can fry yer gonads and I had an NEC brick that you could have made toast on, but the new MacBooks seem to have sorted out that rather annoying 'feature' of laptops. Other manufacturers must have sorted this too, right? You just need to walk away from those Tesco specials that use crappy components.

[Sandy Scott]

Logitech Alto Cordless

"If [Logitech] bundled the Alto [Connect] with its entry-level EX100 wireless keyboard and mouse combo for £60, it would be a very compelling purchase indeed."

Or you could just get an Alto Cordless, which is pretty much exactly that, only less pretty, and raises the laptop up at a steeper angle (great if you're tall like me). As an added bonus, my wirelss mouse works perfectly with it, so that's one less receiver I need to have on my desk.

[Steven Knox]

My favorite...

is the insert shelf from one of the AIY cubbyholes I own. The price is right (0), the size is right (big enough to hold my laptop and a wireless mouse -- with room to actually use the mouse!), and it's big enough to actually set on my lap solidly and comfortably, unlike most of the products out there.

[Ishkandar]

And afterwards....???

There seems to be *NO* mention of the transportation aspects of these devices. After all, laptops are used for easy mobile computing and lugging an extra ton of awkward gear around just to keep it cool *shurly* defeats the purpose !!

E.g. how do you get you laptop, man-bag and this bit of kit onto the plane, bypassing those fascist check-in clerks that insist that everything must fit into 50cm by 40 cm by 30 cm space !!

Considering that I do a fair bit of flying around, I would like to know how this will be affected !!

[Dave Jones]

Laperal thinking....

My lap rest is a flat (no rim) cookie sheet. Got it for 3 bucks at Ollie's. 14 inches by 9 is a good size, but the next size up works too. Previous versions included an interesting flat sheet by Oneida, 6 bucks at Target, with one edge bent up into a handle. If you don't want it to slip and slide, or scratch tabletops, apply self-adhesive foam or felt sheet from the craft store: 99 cents.

Then have a good laugh at the bozos who pay $29.99.

[Anonymous Coward]

Portability

Maybe I'm limited, but I associate laptops with portability.

So: http://www.laptopstuff.co.uk/p/Coolstand_Cool_Laptop_Stand.htm

I actually own one.

[James Haley]

Lapinator

l love my lapinator:

http://www.lapinator.com/

Paris, in honor of keeping your lap from overheating.

[Patrick Bateman]

Logitech lapdesk

Surprised not to see the new Logitech Lapdesk mentioned... http://www.trustedreviews.com/notebooks/review/2009/01/31/Logitech-Comfort-Lapdesk-for-Notebooks/p1

[Ken Ring]

Piffle

Use an A4 lever arch folder.

[John Gray]

These products encourage invention!

Faced with the possibility of paying between £25 and £60 for something that keeps a laptop half an inch off the desk, I suspect a trip to my local supermarket to buy a couple of thick pencil erasers (yes,. PC rubbers) would save me between £24 and £59...

[Peter]

Ikea laptop stand!

You missed noticing this -

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/60115791

Cheap, and works extremely well for mornings in bed...

[Roger Garner]

Alternatively get a decently designed laptop...

Someone at Acer actually realised laptops tend to sit on stuff so came up with a masterful idea... why dont we put the fan exhaust on top of the laptop instead of on the bottom. You know... where the airflow is unobstructed and the fan doesn't ever need to kick up a notch because its got all the air it needs even when sitting in bed on a duvet? Better yet we'll make it nice and quiet so you can't even hear it...

Acer 8930, nothing better than a saturday morning Crysis killing spree from the comfort of your duvet. ;)

[Spunky McPunk]

you forgot this stand:

http://lifehacker.com/photogallery/Top-10-DIY-office-projects/2062653

the best laptop stand money can buy

[Adam]

Pointless

What are the point of these things. What's wrong with just a laptrap that you can pick up in pound shops? As for my laptop at work on the desk all the time, I just use an external keyboard, mouse and monitor. These things seem like a waste of money to me.

[Matt Thornton]

Griffin

I've got one of those Griffin jobs - it looks nice but those rubber stopper thingies on the arms are slippier than a lubed up eel on an ice rink. You can position the computer all you want, it'll still slip and slide until it finds an equilibrium.

[Red]

Zalman NC-2000??

What about the Zalman NC-2000? I've got one and it keeps my 17" Asus G2 nice and cool. With the G2 running at max performance, it'll definitely roast the old chestnuts if you leave it in your lap.

The cooler is lightweight aluminum, USB powered and about as close to silent as you can get without being a passive cooler. The Zalman NC-1000 is identical, just in a slightly smaller package.

http://zalman.com/ENG/product/Product_Read.asp?idx=280 <- NC-2000 Link

http://zalman.com/ENG/product/Product_Read.asp?idx=130 <- NC-1000 Link

[moylan]

wrong solution

wouldn't it be better to have a laptop that doesn't have excess heat. a more power frugal one. instead we have hot pieces of metal that lose their portability when you have to drag along a laptop stand. have seen a neat one made out of chop sticks and string.

liked the allsop cool channel. that at least seemed to not add to much weight/volume to the laptop and also seems to add extra protection when the device is been carried.

[Carl Nixon]

Why pay so much

The best laptop stand I have ever purchased is a magazine rack from Tescos for £6.85

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.100-0111.aspx

Simply lay it flat on its largest side and put your laptop on top. It is made of Sea Grass so there is plenty of ventilation and the compartment where the magazines were supposed to go, makes a great place for desk clutter.

It should raise your screen about 8" of the desk.

[Anonymous Coward]

For those who want the weight off their laps...

Try the Ikea 'Dave' laptop table... the legs slot under the sofa, it angles down and is height adjustable... perfect for when in front of the TV :)

[Charles Manning]

Better still

Let's hope for a raft of ARM-based laptots that don't get so friggin hot in the first place!

Hot CPUs are an all round bad thing. The cooling system is big and bulky and noisy. Fans etc mean you can't seal the laptop properly making it vulnerable to coffee and dust. The power supply has to be bigger, the AC adapter has to be bigger, the battery has to be bigger.

[Anonymous Coward]

ikea Dave

I have an ikea laptop stand which allows me and the family to use a laptop while lounging on a sofa.

It's called The Dave.

Cheaper than a fish dinner. Sturdy build quality.

[Nick Miles]

Alternative

I use the Bakker Elkhuizen Flextop 270 on the desk and it's a wonderful piece of design. Pretty good at doing what it's supposed to to. (pricey tho)

[Anonymous Coward]

What about The Lapinator/Mousitizer ?

I have a Lapinator Plus and a Mousitizer and find them very good. My 17" laptop is lifted up at the back a bit to help with cooling and It is comfortable to use on the lap. My legs are kept cool and it is comfortably padded. The Mousitizer (which attaches on the side of the Lapinator) allows me to use my wireless bluetooth optical mouse perfectly.

[Dick Emery]

Bah!

If you are using it on your lap and not a table just get an Ikea rest. One of those beanbag types with the plastic top. I don't need no extra cooling as the clearance between the feet of the laptop and what it rests on is enough and I am not trying to cool my crotch!

[mhj]

@Jon Connell

The 'Tesco special' machines use pretty much the same components as a macbook ;).

The real credit has to go to intel for the pentium m/core series of CPU's. I remember P4 notebooks, with battery life of half an hour and hot enough to fry eggs.

[Andus McCoatover]

Of course, there's always the surreal...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mmBw3uzPnJI/SBiVlmGZtII/AAAAAAAANFg/AkGXZAWCyw0/s1600-h/lorbeer_performances_16.jpg

[Ciaran McHale]

Prop-forward laptop stand

I'm surprised and disappointed that the article doesn't mention the excellent Prop-forward laptop stand: www.prop-forward.com

Regards,

Ciaran.

[Anonymous Coward]

Erm... why complain about external keyboards?

Look, you seem to be slightly disappointed that all the dedicated desk stands seem to need external keyboards.

Why?

If you've got a fixed desk, surely you can afford to have a £10 kb sat in front of it? Isn't it more comfortable and healthy?

Me, I've got external mouse and keyboard, and my desk stand is half-a-dozen A4 books on various topics. The top one's a hardback, for better heat resistance and stability

[Anonymous Coward]

Alternative for desktops

The company I work for has recently done a mass rip-and-replace of all the various flavours of manufacturer specific laptop docking stations with a load of these: http://www.humanscale.com/products/L2.cfm

Whilst it does make getting in and leaving at the end of the day a bit more of a pain now for us poor road warriors, I can see the logic behind the move. And although they necessitate a separate keyboard and mouse, in ergonomic terms they're a definite improvement on devices that just tilt the unit up a bit more, but still require you to sit within say 30cm of the screen.

[Dave]

B&Q

Mine's a piece of 6mm plywood, wide enough to go from one arm of my comfy chair to the other. I only need to use it when I want to use an external mouse, which is not very often - the trackpad on my MacBook Pro is good enough most of the time, and it only gets hot when the battery is being re-charged, not in normal use.

Total cost: zero.

Usability: better than any of these.

Power drain on my battery: none.

Need for external cables: none.

Stability: great

[Iain Paterson]

Stanton Uberstand

It's a very purpose built piece, but it's worth mentioning the Stanton Uberstand

http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/03/01/stanton-uberstand-for-laptop-based-djs/

If you work standing up with a laptop it's a must have piece of kit, and absolutely indestructible in it's build quality.

[Anonymous Coward]

While everyone is suggesting their own one...

I like to stick on some AVI of dubious moral virtue then the resultant increase in angle between machine and thigh-top leads to increased air circulation.

[Lon Bailey]

where is the laptop stand in the header photo?

The photo - "red cushions and woman in black" seems to be a "logitech comfort lapdesk"- not surveyed in your article!

[Anonymous Coward]

Thanks for the reminder!

In bed I'm reduced to using a very large Jiffy bag, which is not very effective at keeping thighs cool but does make it easy to slide across the duvet when a cooling off period is necessary, or a better view of the telly is req'd, or to make space for breakfast. I do have a 'proper' laptop stand and have just dug it out, it's curved "special metal & other material" without fan, £25 from eBay a year or so ago, it has 'Zi' on one of the rubber pads. I have to admit it's better than the Jiffy bag but not so manoeuvrable - can't slide, have to lift. I think a combo of the 2 is going to be the answer :)