Quite a while ago I reviewed the Laptop Desk 2.0 from LapWorks and I found it to be a great product in both functionality and design, now LapWorks has released sort of an upgrade to that called the Futura Laptop Desk. The Futura takes all that is great about the Laptop Desk 2.0, improves upon it and re-designs the look to create something that is aesthetically pleasing, comfortable to use, very lightweight, portable, inexpensive and actually cools your laptop. Read on to learn about this excellent laptop accessory…
Futura Laptop Desk from LapWorks
Reviewed by: Kristofer Brozio
Sponsor: LapWorks
Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
Futura Laptop Desk from LapWorks
The Futura Laptop Desk is the latest version of laptop desks from LapWorks. This newest edition is as stylish as it is strong and functional. And designed into the Futura are its ventilation slots that cool the notebook up to 20%. The new lap desk has no-slip rubber pads on its bottom side to grip your clothes and no-slip rubber pads on the top side to grip the notebook when its on your lap. As a desktop stand, the Futura elevates your notebooks viewing screen 3-3/4 closer to eye level to reduce neck and back strain. At the same time it creates 5 different typing angles to incline the keyboard for better typing ergonomic.
The Futura Laptop Desk is the latest and most stylish contribution in a long line of lap desk & desk stand by the company who invented the category, LapWorks. Everything weve learned about lap desks over the last seven years has gone into this new design. The new Futura is as strong and robust as the LTD 2.0 and as thin and lightweight as the LTD UltraLite. But with one big difference, the Futura brings a stunning new look to an old style product. The futuristic design of this newest laptop desk breaks through the staid old lines of traditionalism and presents a fresh new look thats exciting and sexy all at the same time.
Product details:
The Futura weighs just over one pound (actually 1 lb. 8 grams)
Measures 21 long by 11 wide by 1/2 thick when folded in half.
Unfolded, it measures 3/8 thick.
The new Futura is made from ABS plastic and comes in gun metal gray with black rubber no-slip pads.
Futura Laptop Desk Product Link
PRICE: $29.95
A Better Look at Things
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The Futura Laptop Desk comes in very minimalistic packaging, no plastic clamshells to fight with, no boxes to throw away, just a ziplock bag with a thin cardboard insert, simple, effective and easy to open!
The Futura is silver in color with black accents which are really rubber gripping pads to hold your laptop in place. It folds in half for storage or transport, it actually locks closed.
Opening it up to it’s full size we can see it sort of resembles a piece of alien technology, at least that was my first impression of it, but with a name like Futura it is supposed to have a technological or futuristic look to it I believe. If you read my review of the Laptop Desk 2.0 you’ll see that it is a solid piece without the ventilation holes the Futura has, this is one of the major improvements over the Laptop Desk 2.0.
In the center are to fairly heaving hinges that ‘lock’ into place once the Futura is unfolded, by lock I mean they have tabs that rest on the opposite side to support your laptop and prevent the Futura from collapsing.
There are several of the black rubber pads spaced all around the Futura to prevent your laptop from moving, the surface of the Futura also has a slight texture to it as well.
A Better Look at Things
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Flipping over the Futura we find more rubber pads for gripping the surface you place it on, be it your legs, a desk, or wherever.
Here we can also get a close look at the back side of the hinges, they are smooth when closed so you won’t accidentally pinch anything….
The Futura also doubles as a angled laptop stand as well, this is accomplished by a hinged leg that can be adjusted to five positions.
The Futura is made of plastic, yet it is still sturdy enough to hold the weight of your laptop without worrying about it falling. The manufacturing seems very good with no machining marks or excess plastic hanging about. Overall it is a nice clean looking product that appears to have been manufactured with high standards in mind.
Installation, Testing and Comparison
Well it just so happens at this time I’ve got a couple laptops here that I’m working on for friends, one of them is an older (read dinosaur) Dell Inspiron 8000 that is thick and heavy that I thought would work for a couple pictures and to test the weight limits of the Futura.
You can see from the following picture there really isn’t much surface on the sides that would permit one to use a separate mouse, but it is designed that way, and LapWorks is actually working on a snap on ‘mouse desk’ for those that wish to use a regular mouse with the Futura.
Here’s a few shots of the Inspiron on the Futura used as a stand:
For testing temperatures I got out my laptop of course, a modded Dell Latitude C640:
The ambient room temperature was 24.8C, and to get my idle temps I let my laptop sit for 30 minutes, to get the load temps I ran Prime95 for the same amount of time. I performed the same tests with and without the Futura. I used I8kfanGUI from Diefer to monitor the temperatures while testing.
Idle:
Without Futura: 38c
With Futura: 37c
Load:
Without Futura: 63c/58c
With Futura: 50c
For the load ‘without Futura’ you’ll see two temps, the first being before the fans came on, the second after the fans kicked in. While my laptop was on the Futura I didn’t hear my fans come on at all, so we could say we have a 13 degree drop in temperatures while using the Futura as compared to not using it, but we’ll say we have an 8 degree drop for normal usage.
Summary:
The Futura is an excellent product, it combines quite a few things that you’d want in such a product; portability, functionality, silence and performance.
I’ll be honest I was kind of skeptical if just adding a few slits would actually do much of anything to help cool my laptop, but it works, and it works well. When I reviewed the Laptop Desk 2.0 I found that there wasn’t much of any difference between using it and not in terms of actual cooling, but the Futuras design provides excellent cooling for any hot laptop.
If you’re looking for a great laptop stand, then this is it!
DragonSteelMods gives the Futura Laptop Desk from LapWorks a 5 out of 5 score and our Recommended Award as well.
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Pros:
-Lightweight
-Low price
-Well made
-Cools your laptop
-Non-slip
-Comfortable
Cons:
-None really
I would like to thank LapWorks for the chance to review the Futura Laptop Desk and for their continued support of DSM.
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