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Lap Desks
I have a 15" laptop and have used a number of lap desks over the years, and none have satisfied me. I don't really need a mouse pad space (trackpad) but it wouldn't hurt to have a mouse space available for gaming. I sit in a very large chair so using the armrests isn't an option. I'm just curious what experience you all have with various lap desks. Any particular favorites? I've seen shelves that you can slide over your chair, to glorified pieces of plywood, but what have you turned up?
...if you're hoping that a lap desk will "satisfy" you, then I'm afraid that you need to get out more.
I'm waiting for a "-1 somepeoplejustshouldn'tgetmodprivileges" meta-moderation.
If you really want to work on a laptop, put it on a real desk and connect a screen and keyboard to it. Laptops are not ergonomical. They're only handy for when you're on the move.
-- Cheers!
The "lap desk" I use is basically just a chunk of smooth wood with sort of a bean-bag pillow attached to the bottom. $10 from my local college marketing class. Works perfectly, doesn't get too hot, etc.
Pillow on one side, hard plastic on the other. Only $8.99 or $8.64 CDN
I used to have a small hinged piece of plexiglass that I used because it was easy to tuck into my laptop bag and have with me all the time. It was enough to keep both me and the laptop from getting too hot. Best paired with jeans, though -- it wasn't *quite* enough for the hot days of summer when I wanted to have the laptop on bare legs.
I've seen ones with fans that plug in to USB, but to be honest, the extra fan noise kinda drives me crazy when it's that close to my ears.
What I'm using right now is a little padded lap desk like they occasionally sell packaged with crossword puzzle books and such. Plastic on top, pillow underneath, works well enough *and* it's fine even if I'm wearing a short skirt or shorts and need to keep the hot laptop off my legs. I've noticed they sell these specifically for laptops nowadays, but so far I haven't seen one that's small enough for me. I'm not that big, and neither is my laptop!
I've been using primarily laptops for about 2 years, and none of them are suited for desktop replacement, because of the massive heat generated. I've been through 3 laptops in 9 months that had physical failures due to heat. I started a site to rant on about the hinge crack on my HP dv9000 model, and have received a few hundred search hits in a month or two.
I replaced that unit with a higher end Gateway, and now that one is generating too much heat. My previous model, a Toshiba, had the same problem. My Lenova, same problem.
Now I am searching on a decent desktop unit. All my computer life I always built my own, but I'm tired of it. I just want a powerful system that works for me without hardware issues. Software I can deal with, but it does seem that none of the manufacturers have any idea how to build a long term solution (and by long term, I mean just 12-18 months of use).
I built a lap-desk a year ago with cooling fans (not plywood, either), and it was functional, but still not perfect. I'd love to see Fellows or another ergonomically-inclined designer produce something useful, but I think the "art" and look-and-feel get in the way of making something truly functional.
My dream lap-desk? A Herman Miller designed desk for my Aeron chair. That would be just perfection, I believe.
It's not technically a lap desk, but I've been using one of these for a few years now.
It's sturdy enough to hold a 19" CRT, keyboard, and mouse, adjusts easily, and has wheels so you can just roll it wherever you want. Yeah, it's expensive, but it's worth it.
I have a pair of folding card style tables that cost me £12 and have provided sterling service for several years. They are better with small laptops though - anything bigger than 14.4" leaves no space on the surface and makes it's difficult to see the TV over the top. I live alone.
I just got a Lapinator. It's ight, thin, and is actually designed to serve as a heat barrier. (It uses a trademarked 3M product). It comes in "standard" and "wide" and has an optional outboard mousing platform. A web search using your favorite engine should find their page right away.
I'm about to drive cross-country and I'll be using it with my Thinkpad T60 while my better half does the lion's share of the driving, so it will be getting a workout.
-- Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
That's what I do - especially now that my wife and I are done making/raising kids!
I have used the lapinator for the last 2 years. It is comfortable and dissipates heat well. www.lapinator.com
Institutional cookie sheet. Large heat-dissipating aluminum tray with raised edges. Enough extra room for a compact mouse or other stuff.
I just put my laptop directly on my lap. It's really quite amazing, I can surf the web outside in 30 degree weather and still feel toasty warm. It's like my own personal heater.
On a completely unrelated note, my doctor recently told me that I can no longer have children.
I like the ones attached to the side of hospital beds for eating on. It's kinda hard to sneak one out unnoticed[1], especially since you need to do it from someone else's hospital room (so it's harder to trace to you).
Two mods are required: Adding facility to tilt[2] (instead of just swivel) and adding a padded wristrest (for ergonomics as well as to keep your laptop from sliding onto your lap).
[1] Or, if you're lucky, find one at a surplus store.
[2] Easy enough to add a locking hinge.
I have no idea if something similar is available commercially for cheap. But it can't be too hard to RYO using the swivel & tilt arms used to mount TVs... as long as you have a sturdy chair to mount the frame to.
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
I'd actually been considering something like this to play a game while I bathe. Do you think I'm addicted?
:p Now I just need a waterproof USB keyboard..
On the plus side, I think in the bath the screen would be in a fairly ergonomic position
which is totally what she said
Here's a less obvious solution that might just fit your needs:
Most HDTVs these days have VGA inputs. A 15-dollar VGA cable should do the trick, and most XP installs will recognize the HD resolution and scale a desktop fairly well. Once you've hooked up the laptop to the tv, get yourself a wireless keyboard with a trackpad built in (like the Logitech Mediaboard Pro and as a bonus, it works with the PS3 too) and you should be set.
Funny you should mention neck pain. I've been using laptops in my lap for over 5 years now, and never had a bit of pain. But I recently got reading glasses, and now my neck is killing me when I use a laptop for extended periods of time. Not sure if it's because of the contortions I have to do to see the screen through the reading part of the bifocals, or if both are because of my age, but it sucks.
I even had to prop my work monitor (24" Silicon Graphics CRT - VERY HEAVY) up on top of two ORA X11 reference books to keep from having to bend my head down.
The next Cmdr Taco duplicate will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and see it early!
I know it sounds funny, but if you're looking for a 'lap desk' why not check out lapdesk.com? Seriously, I have one of these (got it as a Christmas present last year, had to search google for a bit just now before I even found who made it), and it works very well. I have the "Jumbo Lap Desk", and originally used it for doing crossword puzzles, but soon found out what a great laptop desk it made. The cushion underneath is very soft and comfortable on my legs while the flat surface allows my laptop to vent properly. You can find the one I got from organize-it-online.com, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.com (and amazon again... it looks like exactly the same product, but for a different price... I don't know).
The version I have is around $15, but it looks like the manufacturer has plenty of fancier models as well.
We always knew Comcast was corrupt, here's the proof: http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1909890&cid=34545432
Just use an empty 3-ring binder. It has excellent thermal insulation, it's lightweight & cheap.
I have....it's DEFINITELY worth it. I bought it from LapDawg and found they have pretty good customer service. The price includes shipping which is why the product seems a bit more expensive. The product itself is quite unique. It can transform into 5 different table modes they claim. They have a pretty good gallery of the product on the right nav. Here's a pic of my fav position http://www.lapdawg.com/gallery/laptop-stand/pages/laptop-stand-mid-6.html It takes some getting used to, but it's really quite useful once you get the hang of it. HG
Maybe you can build a laptop stand yourself, they are easy to build and usually cheap. To give you some ideas, there are some guides about making custom laptop and notebook stands from different materials at Repair4Laptop.
Not sure if it's because of the contortions I have to do to see the screen through the reading part of the bifocals, or if both are because of my age, but it sucks.
;-) In my case, I'm still getting away with wearing contacts in combination with one set of reading glasses for the computer, another set for books, but have to remove everything when I'm doing something like shaving.
Instead of bifocals, why not have your opthamologist come up with a prescription for computer use only?
Something you may or may not know (yet) is that a comfortable distance for a monitor is different than that of a book or newspaper, and again different than what's needed when in front of a bathroom mirror. Put another way, if your glasses (the bottom half, at least) correct for reading at 14", your eyes will work harder when reading at, say, 36". The reverse is equally true. Working harder and not being able to do the work is what happens to the eyes around 40 and people discover they need reading glasses, a new prescription, or multiple prescriptions.
Then there's the issue of bifocals being appropriate for reading something below your line of sight like a book, rather than up or directly ahead like a computer monitor. Assuming your current prescription is good (and you've gotten past the bifocal adjustment phase), it's possible your headaches are due entirely to the cockeyed position of your head and neck to compensate for bifocal use (limited field of vision, wrong angle etc.).
Sucks no matter how you look at, I guess.
As for the OP's question, I can't offer anything useful. I prefer to sit and work at a desk, knowing that the ergonomics apply to the neck, shoulders and back, as well as the wrist and fingers, to say nothing of the fact that "less relaxed" positions are generally more conducive to alertness and concentration. Then again, the Romans were known to prefer eating their meals while in a reclining position, so maybe we're all missing something.
These are inexpensive, the last two I bought were about $20 apiece. One was plastic, with a non-slip soft rubber/plastic mat glued on its top surface. The other one was wood. Both had a beanbag underneath, which adapts to the shape of your thighs. These are barely wide enough for a laptop and a small mouse.
Pedro
----
The Insomniac Coder
Once upon a time I used a lap desk regularly, long before there were laptop computers. It was pretty big and rested its edges on the arms of my easy chair. That lap desk is long gone now.
I recently got laptops for my SO and self. We sit on a loveseat in the living room in front of the TV in the evening, with laptops, reading the news and doing correnspondence. We both decided we needed lap desks. Here's what we did:
I found pieces of peg-board in the scrap heap. I cut two pieces 12"x24". My SO got some drapery fabric from her scrap heap and some pillow stuffing material. She used a hot glue gun to make an angled pillow on one side of the peg-board, with the fabric wrapping around, attaching to the opposite side of the peg-board. Using the hot glue gun, she attached mouse pads at the right spots to the peg-board.
The angled pillow keeps the computer at the correct angle for comfortable use. The pillow also keeps the heat from the laptops from heating up our legs. This seems to work well for us.
I would really recommend you take a look at www.airdesks.com , I found them a few years ago and the one I have has worked great for the last few years, I picked one up for my parents and they use it daily for their laptop. In addition I others I recommended it to for use during recovery from surgery swear by them as well. Not well advertised, pretty simple design but they work great. They even have a unit for use on a treadmill that I may be picking up soon.
I have a Laptop Desk (www.laptopdesk.net). I really do love it, too. It doubles as a laptop riser when I use it on my coffee table or at my desk at home, and it's really quite sturdy and portable. Totally worth the $30. Don't get the Futura; get the original one - it's definitely better.
I'm a geek girl. Seriously.
One I like is the "air desk" from www.airdesks.com
My wife and I have both used different sizes of the padded aluminum iLap (from Rain Design) with our PowerBooks / MacBooks / MacBook Pro's over the years. They can be a little expensive in the larger sizes, but are rugged and comfortable and do their jobs very nicely. No complains.
Try this thing. http://www.lapdawg.com/ You can transform it's shape to make the laptop fit you. Portable as well.