trishussey
on - last edited on by
Rhombus
Continuing on the theme of laptop gear and accessories, especially for travel, let's talk laptop stands and desks. In case you hadn't noticed by now, your laptop gets might warm the longer you use it. The reason is simple, heat is generated by the processor and other components as the laptop runs. The harder it has to work, the more heat generated. You've probably heard your fan come on periodically as you're working. That is the laptop's way of pulling cool air into the machine and expelling the hot. Here's the problem, if your laptop is on a desk or your lap, it can't breathe very well and can start to get pretty toasty. There is a simple solution to this: a laptop desk or stand.
A laptop stand or desk serves two purposes. One is to help keep both your laptop and lap cool, the other is to raise your laptop up a mite to making easier to work on. For laptop desks there are a couple type to look at. A desk stand is intended to hold your laptop up on a table etc. These stands either raise it high enough so your laptop is more like a monitor (and it's expected that you will use an external keyboard and mouse with it) or just lift it a bit so you can still type on the laptop's keyboard, but more comfortably. Just by lifting your laptop up, so there is air space below the laptop, will help keep it cool but many desktop stands add a couple of USB-powered fans to help the process along. I have the Targus Chill Mat (pictured on the left) and it is of the lift a bit off the table and couple fans ilk. While some people get annoyed by the drone of the fan, I don't notice it. I do notice that my laptop (MacBook Pro in this case, which as the added bonus of being made of aluminum) stays much cooler than without it.
If you want to use your laptop on your lap you need a laptop lap desk. I have two that I use. One that I use a lot is from LapWorks and is both for your lap and desk (I'm using it right now in fact). I've had one since they first came out and make sure it travels with me to conferences, etc. While it doesn't have a fan, I find that the laptop keeps cooler. In "on the lap" mode, you have a nice stable surface and my lap stays cool. Just that little bit of space really helps things. This laptop desk is made of very strong plastic and can hold most laptops comfortably. However, with a 17" laptop (or one that particularly heavy) you might find a little bounce while you're typing.
When I'm at home, my fiancé and I use these Belkin CushTops which are more designed for your lap only, but I've used them on a desk too. They are pretty comfy. So comfy in fact that we have two of them. The first my fiancé bought me for my birthday and the second I bought the next day for her, because she liked mine so much!
The little pass through is great for stashing stuff like pens, papers, the power brick, or a mouse. It is designed that you can orient it with either the high side towards you or away from you, which ever feels most comfortable for you.
If you're feeling more DIY, then maybe you might like one of these homemade solutions (my favourite is the cardboard one).
