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The Road Warrior Review: Laptop Desk Futura

A seemingly inescapable fact of life with contemporary Apple notebook computers (the MacBook Air a possible exception) is that they run hot. Very hot by historical standards. Even my middle-aged 17" PowerBook G4 gets plenty hot enough, so much so that I run it a lot of the time with processor power reduced, which mercifully keeps the screaming cooling fans silent, but you take a substantial performance hit. Consequently, much of the time I really don't notice that dramatic a difference in liveliness between the BigAl at "Reduced" and my old and cool-running 550 MHz G4 Pismo PowerBooks.

However, even at full power, the old G4 is relatively tepid compared with some if the MacIntel 'Books. The high operating temperatures of these machines is the reason why Apple, no doubt with an eye to potential product liability litigation, has stopped referring to them generically as "laptops", substituting "notebook" instead. I lament the change of terminology. Laptop was a good and accurately descriptive word for the way most portable computer owners still use their machines at least some of the time. On the other hand, "notebook is OK too, I guess, since it's the designation that the "book" MacBook, PowerBook and iBook derives from. I digress.

Nevertheless, most users will want o to use these computers as literal, if not nominal laptop machines from time to time, and they do get uncomfortably hot. As one reader complained last week, "I work a lot on my lap on a recliner but also at the kitchen table, and occasionally at a desk. my lap gets really HOT and I hate it! My legs are burning up."

And while the discomfort and risk of superficial skin damage are bad enough, there are other, potentially more long-lasting consequences for male users associated with hot laptop computer use. It's been well-established by research that elevated scrotal temperatures caused by factors like too-tight jockey-style underwear or spending excessive amounts of time in hot tubs can damage sperm and diminish fertility. Now it looks like using a hot laptop on your actual lap can be added to the list of risk factors.

A study by Dr. Yefim Sheynkin of the State University of New York at Stonybrook published in the U.K. journal Human Reproduction found that when men use laptop computers on their laps, a combination of factors elevates temperatures around their genitals and over time can result in decreased sperm production – jeopardizing fertility. The factors are:

1. Heat generated by the laptop
2. Unnatural posture with knees squeezed together in order to balance the laptop on their lap. 

The Sheynkin report in Human Reproduction, entitled "Increase in Scrotal Temperature in Laptop Computer Users," cautions that teenagers and young men especially should limit time spent with a computer positioned on their lap because of the possible long-term damage to their fertility. The study can be downloaded in PDF format here:
http://humrep.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/deh616v1

Sheynkin's researchers found that in 29 volunteers between the ages of 21 and 35 who took part in the study sitting with the thighs together to balance a laptop, scrotal elevated temperatures by 2.1°C (3° F). However when a laptop was in use, average temperatures rose by 2.6°C (4°F) on the left of the scrotum and 2.8°C (5°F) on the right (I deduce that the laptops used in the study had their processor located on the right. The average surface temperature of the computers used in the experiment increased from nearly 31C (87.8F) at the start of the test to nearly 40°C (104°F) after one hour. Whatever, today's hotter-running laptops can only exacerbate the hazard.

According to a study at the Aberdeen Fertility Centre, University of Aberdeen, sperm counts fell by nearly 30 per cent among a test group of 7,500 men between 1989 and 2002, showed average sperm concentrations. The reasons for this alarming decline have not been conclusively established, but suspected culprits include drug and alcohol abuse, smoking, obesity, pesticides, estrogen-mimicking chemicals polluting water supplies and foodstuffs, and radiation.

Dr. Sheynkin commented to Laura Rohde IDG News Service's commenting that: "It's possible that external protective devices could help."

One of the newest such devices is the Lapworks Laptop Desk Futura - an evolutionary development and enhancement of what LapWorks has learned building the preceding Laptop Desk 1.0, 2.0, and UltraLite products, all of which remain available, the Laptop Desk Futura is distinguished from its forbears by its sleeker, more swish styling, availability soon in bright colors as well as the standard gunmetal grey, and three main engineering improvements.

First, to improve computer cooling over previous designs, LapWorks has incorporated open ventilation slots instead of the closed channels used in earlier models so cooling air can circulate from under the Futura.

Secondly, the cooling slots have been elongated by 2 inches, providing a less restrictive pathway for hot air to escape from under widescreen notebooks.

Thirdly, the Futura ha a 1/8-inch air space between the computer and the desk support surface when the unit is used in desktop mode to let cool air circulate under the notebook, facilitated by rubber pads that lift and separate the 'Book from the Futura.

“The Futura’s design takes better advantage of the thermal dynamics of heat rising to cool notebooks,” says LapWorks’ president and chief designer Calero. “The moment hot air radiates from the bottom of a notebook, it travels laterally looking for the quickest way to rise. The new open, elongated slots let cool air in from the bottom to mix with and begin cooling the hot air seeking its way out and up. Additionally, we are confident that the Futura will not absorb sufficient heat to overheat and radiate heat downward, which is good news for the lap.”

Like its Laptop Desk 2.0 and UltraLite siblings, the Futura is a dual-mode design that also can serve as a notebook stand for desktop use. When used as a laptop desk, the two halves of the Futura unfold to create a support surface 21 x 11 x 3/8-inches wide that can comfortably accommodate any Apple notebook, including the 17" MacBook Pro and PowerBook.

Aside from the heat issue, there is also the matter that one's lap can be a precarious perch for a complex and relatively fragile device that is worth a couple of thousand dollars.

According to LapWorks' ergonomist consultant Sally A Longyear, CIE, MPH, “LapWorks’ Laptop Desks span the entire lap so you can relax your knees naturally instead of squeezing them together to balance a laptop. This minimizes strain on the shoulders, neck, back and arms. This illustration shows correct laptop-using posture on a desk and on a lap.

For notebook stand duty, the two halves of the unit fold into a shallow wedge shape offering five different angle settings providing the keyboard rake some users prefer for typing, and a modest degree of display elevation up to 3 3/4 inches for use with an external keyboard. The Futura's fold-down support for the elevated leaf when in notebook stand mode is a hinged panel made from the same ABS plastic as the main unit.

For storage or transport, the Laptop Desk Futura folds flat into a compact wafer measuring 11 x 10 3⁄4 inches by one-half inch thick and weighing just a smidge over one pound (16 1⁄4 ounces) for easy tucking into your computer bag or backpack.

The initial Laptop Desk Futura units come in an attractive gunmetal gray livery, but this product will also be LapWorks’ first laptop cooler to be available optionally in fashion colors. “We plan to offer the Futura in bright, modern, hand-painted colors similar to iPod/MP3 player skins,” explains Jose Calero. The company also plans to offer customized Futura paint jobs. All colors – hand-painted and customized – will be offered at premium prices. “Some of our customers have asked when we might have a trendy Laptop Desk, so we are dipping our toes into the fashion fountain with the Futura,” says Calero.

Compared with the older Laptop Desk models, the Futura is not quite as wide and provides only a minimal mousing surface, so for users who prefer an external mouse when using a laptop on their lap might better consider the Laptop Desk 2.0 or the slightly longer, yet lighter Laptop Desk UltraLite which was designed to support notebooks weighing less than 5 pounds. Later this year, LapWorks expects to offer a snap-on MouzPad to expand the Futura’s mousing area.

I've had a Laptop Desk UltraLite for several years, and have liked it, but the new Laptop Desk Futura is even cooler - both figuratively and literally. The appearance has definitely gone upmarket, and cooling efficiency has to be enhanced with all those open slots. I'm quite happy using the trackpad when in laptop mode, so the less expansive mousing surface is not a problem for me with the new unit, and it still has plenty of room for my 17" PowerBook. LapWorks' build quality has always been excellent, and continues to be with the Futura, and the price won't bust your wallet. If you use your notebook on your lap on a regular or frequent basis, you really owe it to yourself and to it to avail yourself of a laptop desk, and the Futura represents the state of the art.

For more information, visit:
http://laptopdesk.net/

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Lapworks Seeks Your Help In Selecting New Hot Colors for Laptop Desk Futura

Lapworks Inc. is seeking input on selecting a new line of bright fashion colors for the Laptop Desk Futura, which is currently available in gunmetal gray.. Any survey participant who suggests an alternate color (one not included in the survey) that they’d like to see, and LapWorks selects it, will receive a new Futura LTD in that color at no charge.

Futura will be LapWorks’ first portable laptop desk to come optionally in optional colors, and shades provisionally under consideration are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet (purple) and pink. Lapworks has set up a special survey Website, and invites you to visit and let them know your color preferences. The survey is quick and takes only a minute or two.

Here is the link to the Color Survey and color samples:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=TdUZttZAjoNdDETwK88HiQ_3d_3d

For more information, visit:
http://laptopdesk.net/
or
http://laptopdesk.net/laptopdesk_futura.html



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cmoore@macopinion.com


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