Review: G800 Aerogel Extreme Wide LapDesk by LapLogic
How many times have you wished that your laptop desk used the same insulation as found on the Mars Rover and StarDust interplanetary probe? If you’re like me, the answer is “Too many times to count!”. Well, luckily for all of us, LapLogic has managed to incorporate their Aerogel insulation into their latest model laptop desks, the G800 and G800 Wide LapDesks.
So cool it’s HOT!
I don’t know much about insulation, but I DO know if given a choice, I always want the one that holds 15 records in the Guiness Book of World Records – including the best thermal insulation known to man (which is much more useful in an insulation than the record for most oysters eaten in 12 minutes). The Aerogel is able to produce a 99.9% reduction in heat transfer, and we’re betting that extra 0.01% isn’t going to bother you.
Above: A size comparison between the G800 and the G800 wide.
Design
I reviewed the G800 Wide desk, designed for widescreen laptops (although I was using a 13-inch MacBook, and still loved the extra space), but there is a smaller “standard-sized” G800 as well. The G800 wide is similar in design to LapLogic’s W700 Wide Taku model, if you’re familiar. The desk consists of a lightweight, padded board, 10 inches deep by 20 inches wide. There’s a 12-inch area to one side with raised standoffs which hold your laptop up slightly and allow for proper heat ventilation. The standoffs and laptop area are coated in a grip-able material that keeps your laptop from sliding off. In our test we were able to tilt the laptop desk about 60 degrees before the laptop began sliding, and if your lap is that uneven, you’ve got problems.
On the other end of the laptop desk is an 8 x 10-inch mousepad which is a great touch and something I never knew was missing in my current laptop desk until I began using the G800. You can also use this area for putting a notepad or magazine if not using a mouse, which is something I found myself doing. The cool thing about the design of the G800 is that by simply turning it around, the desk works for both right and left handed people.
The underside of the G800 consists of two heat pads meant to be positioned on your legs, as well as a central pocket area. LapLogic shows a single CD being held there, and that’s more or less all it will hold. They claim you can hold a mousepad or business cards there, but its lack of depth means you wouldn’t want to put anything too valuable inside for risk of it falling out. But I guess doing something with that space is better than nothing.
Issues
I only ran into one minor issue with the G800. When describing the desk, LapLogic throws around many high-tech sounding words, like “C²R Thermal Technology”, “nano-technology”, and “interplanetary probe”, but one phrase that I found odd was when talking about the built-in mousepad, they describe it as a “ScotchGuard coated ballistic nylon mouse pad”. This sounds all well and good, except I found my Logitech optical mouse had trouble tracking on it, perhaps due to that ScotchGuard coating (apparently even light can’t stick to ScotchGuard!). I then tried 2 other mice, an Apple Mighty Mouse and a Microsoft Intelimouse, and both worked fine, so just be aware that you may need to use a “regular” mousepad on top of the built-in one if you have a funky optical mouse. Good thing you have that pocket under the desk to carry one!
Above: Go Syracuse! My orange Macbook looks just swell with the bright blue G800.
Conclusion
The G800 Aerogel Extreme wide LapDesk by LapLogic is a worthy successor to their previous lineup. Although I had no problem with the heat blocking abilities of their last generation of pads, it’s nice to know that my G800 can be used to help protect me upon re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, if the need should arise.
G800 Aerogel Extreme Wide LapDesk by LapLogic
Price: $79.95
Pros: great heat protection, lightweight, built-in mouse pad, works for both left and right-handed individuals
Cons: Some mice might have trouble tracking on the mousepad, Slightly pricey for a lapdesk
I like high tech insulation as much as the next guy, maybe even more. But for $80, I’ll keep on using my Levenger Lapdesk which keeps my thighs from getting PowerBook toasty for less than half the price of the LapLogic.
This is overkill. Plus that level of insulation can prevent the computer from dissipating heat effectively, shortening its life. Or it can prevent your legs from dissipating heat, making you uncomfortable. And whytf should scotch guard interfere an optical mouse? Where did you get that idea?
i heard your wiener can fall off – if you but a macbook on your lap….
Matt, that’s the MacBook PRO you’re thinking of.