[Macworld.com]

A cheap way to keep your lap cool. [more]

[tomtom]

Never harmed my fertility in all my years - only sissies suffer from this.
Humping the original Mac (trans) portable between London, Milan and Paris each week did me no long term harm either. This 1990 thing was shaped like an old school desk and about half the size.

[justme2]

Great idea...might look into one of those for the iBook. My usual iBook "desk" is to put it on a pillow (I have an old bed pillow that I use for napping on the couch) and supporting it against one of my TV tray tables, but I sometimes have problems with the table tipping over forcing me to catch the iBook with my hands and table with my feet.
That "desk" would probably work well in the car, too...

[jpollone]

Three years ago, my talented woodcraftsman father-in-law made a curved lap desk for my 17" PowerBook. The lap desk can hold my 6x9 Wacom or a mouse/pad, and it resembles a Levenger Lap Desk.

I also purchased an inexpensive plastic notebook stand ($9) which allows air to flow through. The stand is similar to the pricey Targus Notebook Stand.
Now, I have a MacBook (yea!) and the stand is a bit big, but it works fine. If I just want the MacBook in my lap without the desk, I simply use a large, thin children's book and plop the stand and the MacBook on top of it.
It would be interesting to see all of the creative lap desk rigs via Flickr.

[macbigot]

Beware, those who have been using a soft pillow as a barrier against the heat -- that doesn't leave much room for circulation around the perimeter of your 'Book (Power- or Mac-).
Though there are multitudes of answers, I found that for me, one of my childrens' storybooks turned out to be the perfect size to protect both my lap and my 12" G4 laptop:
"Where's That Cat?" by Eve Merriam and Pam Pollack (Click for Amazon review)

Be sure to pick a hardback, but almost any children's book of the right measurements can be put back into service long after your kids have 'moved on' to more difficult and intriguing reads. Think if it as double-recycling; not only are you putting to use something that will only take up shelf space -- but you are also utilizing something from the 'old world' of tree-based publishing to support your 21st-century window to the literary world.

[gthornock]

My 17 inch Powerbook and an external trackball fit well on the flat side of a Farberware cutting board. I've added a non-slip mat for extra safety, but otherwise it's just the board. It still gets a little warm underneath, but nothing like the uninsulated laptop.

[BearsFan34]

Why bother with something like this?
iLap is the best thing for a laptop. Got mine at Amazon.com. Way better than this thing. Sure, a few more bucks, but totally worth it. Works great on your lap or on a table.

[Ichiban_jay]

Except that the new macbook pro's are HOT!
My bro's 2.16 ghz macbook pro runs at 144 F without anything and gets up to 165 F. It's unbearably hot and literally burns your finger if you touch the hinge area. BTW it's 2 days old.
Desks like this are almost required.

[Dan Frakes]

In reply to:

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Why bother with something like this?
iLap is the best thing for a laptop. Got mine at Amazon.com. Way better than this thing. Sure, a few more bucks, but totally worth it. Works great on your lap or on a table.

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Matter of opinion, I guess. I've tried the iLap and found it to be relatively unstable, much less comfortable, and limiting in that there's no room to use a mouse or stick a notepad. And it's $60 vs. $10. You can have your iLap; I'll stick with my Target beanbag-bottomed lapdesk /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[rblumberg]

I have one of these. The problem is that after a while of use (not very much use, at that), the plastic top warps, and your computer, rather than sitting on its four feet, is balanced on top of the now-mounded plastic surface. Impossible to use.
The best thing I've used (I'm typing on it now) is the Levenger large Laplander - a solid wood contoured surface, with elastic bands at the top corners to route power cables through, hold ipods, etc. The bottom is a firm piece of foam, covered in a tastefully colored non-slip cloth. The whole thing is extremely well made, remarkably light, and it costs less than $50. They are very durable and, if you use a lap desk a lot (I do), they're worth the slight extra expense.

Richard Blumberg
is what id do

[sigma8]

The levenger one is nice, but it looks nearly identical to the $10 Target variety that Dan Frakes wrote about...albeit more pleasing to the eye. At any rate, neither of these really solves the travel problem.
I have the podiumpad, which is probably a lot less stable, and it doesn't let me keep my legs very far apart...it's not super comfortable either, but it at least keeps the hot surface off of my lap. It also fits easily into my laptop bag along with my laptop. Err, I mean, my notebook bag, along with my notebook.
I think a really nice solution might be to actually design a laptop case with a hard surface integrated into it, so that you could take the laptop out of the case, and then put the case on your lap (hard surface face-up) and use the laptop case as a desk.

[rgcarr]

Yep. I feel most comfortable using my 12" iBook while sitting on our bed. I use my oldest son's "I Spy" book as a laptop desk. It fits perfectly, with less than 1/8" all around the base of the computer, so it's not awkward at all. It's probably around 3/8" thick.

[Dan Frakes]

In reply to:

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The best thing I've used (I'm typing on it now) is the Levenger large Laplander - a solid wood contoured surface, with elastic bands at the top corners to route power cables through, hold ipods, etc. The bottom is a firm piece of foam, covered in a tastefully colored non-slip cloth. The whole thing is extremely well made, remarkably light, and it costs less than $50. They are very durable and, if you use a lap desk a lot (I do), they're worth the slight extra expense.

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Richard:
I really do like the Levenger; especially the elastic bands. I just can't bring myself to pay the extra $40 over the wood cheapo from Target /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif On the other hand, the Levenger models sure look a lot better -- both the better wood and the nicer fabrics.

In reply to:

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I think a really nice solution might be to actually design a laptop case with a hard surface integrated into it, so that you could take the laptop out of the case, and then put the case on your lap (hard surface face-up) and use the laptop case as a desk.

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I totally agree, sigma. I've been testing Booq's Viper semi-hardshell sleeve and although it isn't a perfect example of this, it works fairly well. However, it's just a bit too flexible, so you don't get great airflow under the laptop. (But it does keep your lap cool /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif )

[kagharaht]

Great idea. I do have one of those all in black too. For me though the Targus Chill pad works great. Its quiet, you can not even hear the fan running while in the office. It keeps the MBP from getting extremely hot during high cpu use. I can't imaging using this thing when making 2 hour iDVD or Handbrake at H264. It gets so hot you can cook eggs with it.