Review: Lapvantage Ergo
The Lapvantage Ergo demonstrates the laptop's widening appeal (March 27th, 2002)
The Good
- Durable, reduces eye-strain and improves posture, raises laptops 0.4\".
The Bad
- Doesn\'t work well with some keyboards.
With new, versatile laptops like the Titanium PowerBook G4 and iBook 14", more
and more users are using their portable computers as desktop replacements. Unfortunately,
Apple's portables weren't designed for use on a desk like those of old -- they're
simply too low, forcing the operator to hunch over. The Lapvantage ergo aims to
improve posture and make the desktop a suitable place for any laptop when not
on the road.
Raise the roof
One of the key, yet ironically simple, features of the Lapvantage
is the rubber feet for raising your laptop. These can be crucial for PowerBook
G4 users as the machine suffers from over-heating, which inevitably leads to a
shorter life span. The Lapvantage also sports ample space between levels for peripherals,
including full-height FireWire drives. By raising your laptop 5.5" it greatly
improves the ergonomics of your setup, including wrist position and eye level.
This makes it ideal for those with mild wrist, neck and back problems.
See easy
One thing to note is the size of your external keyboard. To use the
Lapvantage, you must have an external keyboard, but some keyboards are quite awkward
to use with the device. If you place your keyboard under the top level of the
Lapvantage, the sides of your keyboard will probably end up just over the side
(even with the original iMac keyboard) as the Lapvantage is only 13.4 inches wide
-- this is fine with keyboards that are raised and thereby lifted above the Lapvantage.
If your keyboard has rubber feet at each end, you may find them hanging over one
side -- making it difficult to keep the keyboard level while typing. If you place
your keyboard in front of the Lapvantage, you'll end up at least 17 inches away
from the screen and could risk eyestrain depending on screen size and resolution
Final word
At $30 the Lapvantage would be something that I would recommend to
any laptop owner. One should be sure that your keyboard will work well with the
Lapvantage, it shouldn't be hard to find one that works well with it. Even with
its short-comings this is one add-on that no laptop owner should be without. It
is also worth mentioning that the Lapvantage works well with all Apple laptops
and not just the new iBook and Titanium Powerbook. So all can take advantage of
the Lapvantage ergo.
