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?

Comments

Well...

[JK_the_Slacker]

...if you're hoping that a lap desk will "satisfy" you, then I'm afraid that you need to get out more.

Work on a laptop?

[tsa]

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.

Re:Work on a laptop?

[Kadin2048]

Depends on whether you have a real "laptop" or one of those 'luggable' "portable desktop replacements."

I have a 15" ThinkPad and it's definitely a find-a-table sort of deal. Although it has a nice keyboard and TrackPoint, it's so heavy that I'm constantly fighting to keep it from sliding away if it's on my lap, and it gets quite hot (and it has an exhaust vent that's easy to block if it's not on a table). My SO's Dell (some sort of monstrous thing, maybe a 17"?) is even worse. They both have a lot of sharp corners and hard edges.

But on the other end, I have a 12" iBook, an old G3 model, that works fine on my lap. It gets warm but not uncomfortably hot, the trackpad is positioned so that you can move back and forth from it to the keyboard without a lot of problems, it's light and doesn't slide much, and there's no hot-air exhaust to worry about blocking. It's not quite "curl up with a book" small and light, but it's pretty close. Also, even though it's 5 years old, the battery still runs for hours longer than the ThinkPad or the Dell.

I have no idea whether the current 12" Apple laptops are as "lappable" as my old one, but you could do worse than to pick up an old G3. It would probably run Ubuntu quite handily.

Anything bigger than 12", IMO, is too big for real 'laptop' use.

Simple = best

[toleraen]

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.

Worthless without a cooling fan...

[dada21]

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.

Re:Worthless without a cooling fan...

[Piedramente]

I'd check your laptop fans and make sure they are operation and not clogged.

I had a serious heat issue with a gateway until I opened it up and used compressed air to blast away some serious dust. What came out looked akin to dryer lint. No wonder that thing was getting hot.

The cleaning helped tremendously, but I had to do it fairly often. I consider issues such as this design flaws.

Anthro's Adjustable Laptop Cart

[Fear the Clam]

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.

Just set the laptop computer directly on your lap.

[mmell]

That's what I do - especially now that my wife and I are done making/raising kids!

Lapinator

[rallyracer]

I have used the lapinator for the last 2 years. It is comfortable and dissipates heat well. www.lapinator.com