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Price: $130
http://www.lapdawg.com/
For the LapDawg, we had to throw out our usual battery of tests because this stand is quite unique. It's designed to do more then simply act as a laptop stand; it's a fully collapsible table, platform, tray, whatever you can shape it into. The Dawg’s Aluminum tray is very wide at almost 18 inches with fully adjustable legs attached to either side, each split up into three sections. Each leg can be individually rotated a full 360 degrees and locked at any degree. Adjusting these legs was simple (literally a snap) and we had fun coming up with different positions for the Dawg. Sadly this is where our fun ended as it soon became quite apparent that the Dawg’s versatility was its only strength. When weight-testing the stand in a variety of positions the legs would bend under even 10 lbs of pressure, despite the documentation stating support for 26.5 lbs. The stand had very few positions we felt comfortable placing even our 15" notebook on. Throughout our testing the three joints on each leg began to loosen and the unit swayed from side to side when in a full upright position. At full height the Dawg measures just over 21 inches tall making it a bit short to use as a table while sitting down on anything but the floor. Worse yet, the table costs a hefty $130. The LapDawg does absolutely nothing that merits its price, but receives bonus points for being versatile and reminding us of Wall-E.
Price: $45
http://www.atdec.com
Unlike many of the other stands in this roundup, the Traveller doesn't pretend to be something it's not. It is simply a stand used to prop up your laptop on your desk, and admirably succeeds at that task. The Traveller adjusts to five separate heights to bring your laptop to a suitable eye level. Unfortunately, it was a little difficult to lock the stand in place and it became a minor nuisance to change heights once the supporting bracket was finally locked. At the base of the stand are two surprisingly robust fold-out metal tabs used to support your laptop. Despite the Traveller’s simple design and polycarbonate body, it also withstood our weight tests without collapsing or breaking. You can even fold up the unit to be as flat as a magazine and slide it into its included travel sleeve to bring it along on work trips. The Traveller reliably serves its purpose, and the included extras don't hurt one bit.
Price: $49.90
http://www.raindesigninc.com
Clearly aimed at MacBook users, this stand matches the brushed aluminum finish that MacBook Pro users have come to adore. In fact, the stand could easily be mistaken for an Apple product based on its design (and no doubt its price). Built to be a fixed docking station, the mStand is not portable at all; the points it loses in convenience however are gained back in durability. Due to its solid metal build, the mStand can easily support laptops of all sizes. On the back of the stand is a sizable hole for wire routing. During testing, we found this hole somewhat counterintuitive to its purpose; wires that would normally escape out the back of your laptop were now pushed forward toward you if routed through the hole – we can’t see this being useful if your notebook’s USB ports aren’t on the back (like in all Macbooks). Apple fans alike will love this stand, and as they've become accustom to, shell out some serious greenbacks for the sake of style.
Price: $75
http://www.apc.com
The APC Ergonomic Notebook stand offers plenty of mobility on the desk but lacks portability. While this notebook stand size and weight is not meant for traveling, its ergonomic design allows users to rest comfortably while at the desk. The stand offers 3 different locking positions to adjust to your level of comfort. However, we would like to have seen a few more positions available. The folding retainer allows for easy access to front optical drives and the concave stand allows air to flow through the bottom for passive cooling. APC also implemented four USB 2.0 ports to the back, which seems to be standard on many notebook stands today, allowing easy access for your mouse, keyboard, or external hard drive. We wouldn’t have minded a couple of USB ports in the front, though.
Comments are closed on this article
jwalch.hawk
July 23, 2008 at 5:50pm
Heh, I love the tags... "Intern"... It made me giggle.
But seriously... I guess this will be a good way to find the articles from either/both of these two in the future.
And a nice job, guys... Although a 2 on the LapDawg... Don't you have to get special senior editor approval to whip out that can of mean? I mean, YOUCH... That bad, huh? Lol.
whisp
July 23, 2008 at 10:18pm
The documentation had enormously false claims with how much the stand can support, its way too short to be of any legitimate practical use, and it was breaking down even after the short bit of time we spent with it. The product design was good on paper, but the end result when built was extremely feeble architecturally leaving the that nice design useless cuz you couldnt put anything on it! I was going to give it a higher rating cuz it still CAN be used for a very small amount of things (FAR less then it is advertised as being capable of)-- then i saw the price. It mise as well be a scam @ $130, also their website wasnt particularly trusting either - http://www.lapdawg.com/
I believe in using the full scale or 1-10, not 3-9. If a superiour inquires as to my rating I am more then happy to discuss it, but so far im in the clear.
"we Plan for Tomorrow, but we Live for Today"
jwalch.hawk
July 24, 2008 at 9:23am
Eh, the part about having someone's else's approval was a joke. I agree with you totally about using the full scale... I just hadn't seen anything in the mag or on here (although there is a good chance that I simply missed something) that had actually warranted that bad a rating. But yeah... From what you're saying, it deserved it. It's kind of a shame these "good on paper" things can turn out so badly.
sdcat
July 23, 2008 at 4:56pm
First of all, thanks for the review.
Second, I think with adding in white paper of thermal/aero dynamics and cooling /fan info. would be great. Then it would be a good review to probably be added into a printed magazine.
Some may argue the reviewers were mainly focused on the physical strength of the stands, but I would say why not go full and make it all the way. So that this could better deserve a special section of this own, and a great guide for people to keep in hand.
Anyway good work. ^^
guoruiwu1994
July 23, 2008 at 4:52pm
It says: Not quite your standard QWERT keyboard, this puppy dished up a surplus of function keys.
It should say: Not quite your standard QWERTY keyboard, this puppy dished up a surplus of function keys.
