Hasta La Gadget!

When the concertinaing Aviiq notbook-stand was announced way back in November of last year, my headline read “Origami-Like Folding Laptop Stand Is Perfect for In-Bed Movies.” Finally, almost a year later, the review unit arrived, and it proved that I was almost Nostradamus-like in this prophetic declaration. The multi-paneled stand is indeed perfect for keeping a hot notebook off the soft, insulating sheets of your bed while you fall asleep to the latest episode of Mad Men. What the Aviiq isn’t good for is typing. But first, how does it work?

When you pull it from it’s rather sleek box (which has Apple-like packaging production values), the Aviiq is nothing more than an aluminum strip just over a foot long and less than three-inches wide. This strip then unfolds into four sections. The unit is in fact a polypropylene sheet sandwiched between aluminum panels which bend along the exposed plastic strips. The top part of these four sections is also “hinged” and the edge flips underneath and secures itself by poking little rubber-covered pads through slots in the main section. It is ingenious, and much like making a cardboard-box from a flat-packed kit. It is also incredibly light (5.5-ounces) and very rigid.

The stand is meant to be used on a desk, and suffers from the usual problem of these kids of stand: you don’t need one. The 12-degree slant given to the notebook actually increases wrist strain instead of decreasing it. You can use it backwards, slanting the keyboard away from you, but this just raises the front edge.

Where the Aviiq shines, though, is on the lap and in the bed. It works great for keeping things cool between (or at least on top of) the sheets, but it also carries off enough heat to let you use your laptop on your lap-top. You can’t use it directly on your legs, though. The thin edges dig into your thighs in a way that is uncomfortable within seconds. Add a cushion, though, and this problem disappears, and the cushion also raises the computer to a more usable height. If this seems clunky, especially given the portability of the stand, there’s a workaround: Use it upside-down.

With any notebook of 13-inches or more, you can flip the Aviiq over and place the flat top on your legs. The computer then sits astride the two ends, the triangular wedge formed by the fold keeping the hot base off your legs. It works great and more important, it is comfortable.

The Aviiq is small enough to carry with you always, if you need it. There’s one thing that you’ll need to consider though: Price. The stand costs $80, and although it actually feels like $80 of engineering, that’s a lot to spend. This line, from Aviiq’s PR email, probably says it best: “Although it is more expensive than most stands, I’m sure once you get your hands on it you will be impressed.” It is, and I am.

Aviiq product page [Aviiq]

See Also:

• Origami-Like Folding Laptop Stand Is Perfect for In-Bed Movies …