Product Review: Lapworks Laptop Desk
By Mitchell Levine

Some products are revolutionary because they solve old problems in an entirely new and effective way. In the 1980s, fax machines were a quantum leap in communications technology because they made the telegram obsolete. We’ve improved on the formula since, but no-one could deny that they would never again depend on Western Union. A strong case can be made though, that the truest revolutions are those that solve a problem which we don’t yet know is a problem, but suffer from anyways. The Lapworks Laptop Desk is such a product.

Superficially, the Lapworks Original fails to give this impression. When opened, the product’s package reveals a 20 3/8” x 11 1/16” polycarbonate folding desktop designed to be used as a supporting undercarriage for a mobile computer. Laid beneath your laptop, it will ensure the computer can be used in your lap without burning you, while distributing the weight evenly on its casing. I’ve owned three laptops, rely on them almost completely in my work, and probably log on to one for at least a few hours on any given day, but still have never wanted or needed to actually use one on my lap. Reasonably then, you might ask why I would feel that this item should still be referred to as “revolutionary” anyhow?

As anyone who has spent time traveling, or living in a New York City apartment, will confirm, space is precious. If desk space isn’t available or convenient, after several hours of hunkering down on a bed-top over a mobile, I’m very frequently annoyed by system crashes of applications loaded from CD-ROM drives. These can be so severe that all unsaved infor-

mation will just disappear, and the system will not recognize the disk at all, often even after re-boot. Three manufacturers’ worth of supporting documentation have not suggested even a clue of an explanation.

It turns out, in fact, that this glitch is more than just an annoyance: it’s a symptom of imminent, irreversible damage. When used on an upholstered or plush surface, a computer’s ventilation ducts will be blocked, impeding its internal cooling fans. With the enormous clock speed of today’s mobile CPUs, the heat generated eventually causes various component failures, and long-term overall destruction. Again, none of my computers’ manufacturers informed me of this in their literature.

The Laptop Desk elevates the rear ducts off the surface beneath it, and allows the computer to “breath” through its deep ventilation channels. In my example case, two hours of unprotected use might entail an average of three such crashes. With the Laptop Desk, I’ve found that only an extraordinary stretch of continuous usage has produced this type of catastrophic failure, perhaps 10 straight hours or more. Although research has not yet verified what the precise effect on the lifespan of a typical computer might be, I would be surprised if it were not considerable.

When you factor in its ergonomic design and the security of its non-slip surfaces, it’s hard to imagine more value to the serious mobile user for under $20 than the Lapworks Original. For more information, contact Lapworks sales at 1-877-LAP-WORKS, or online at the company’s site at www.lapworksinc.com #

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