Using a laptop on your lap can be an exercise in pain once your computer heats up. LapWorks' Laptop Desk version 2.0 takes the sting out by helping insulate your important parts from that potentially scorching heat.

The Laptop Desk acts as a platform between you and your laptop. It is wide enough for a 17-inch MacBook Pro, and thanks to its rubber gripping strips, it holds your computer without slipping.

The Laptop Desk version 2.0 is big enough for most laptops.

Air flow channels on the Laptop Desk help keep your legs and laptop from overheating. I made a point on several occasions to work from my couch to see if my legs fared any better than they would without the Laptop Desk, and I was pleasantly surprised. I was able to work until I needed to stand up and stretch - No tell-tale roast marks on my legs. For reference, I tested this unit with a 15-inch, 1.67GHz PowerBook G4.

Learn from my error: Don't wear shorts while using the Laptop Desk if you are likely to slide it on your legs. Since there are rubber grippy strips on both the top and bottom of the unit, it will stick to your skin. Ouch.

The unit folds in half for storage and travel. Closed, it measures 11.13 x 10.69 x .63-inches. Open, it measures 20.56 x 11.13 x .31-inches. Small enough to fit in my carry on bag, but too big for me to use in flight. Since I'm more likely to use this in a hotel room or when I want to sit someplace other than my desk, that's not a big issue for me.

The Laptop desk folds for travel.

It weighs in at 1.6 pounds, which is a bit more than I would like for my travel tech gear. To accommodate travelers looking for light weight gear, LapWorks also makes the LapTop Desk UltraLite. The UltraLite is about half an inch longer than the version 2.0, but it is only half as thick. At under a pound, it makes for a great piece of travel gear.

The Laptop Desk UltraLite weighs less, but doesn't insulate as well.

The UltraLite is nice, but it couldn't keep my legs as comfortable as the version 2.0 model did. This unit is best suited for short term use, travel, and smaller computers like the iBook and MacBook.

Since the LapTop Desk folds in half, it also works as a laptop stand for your desk. It folds to several different angles, so you are likely to find an angle that suits you.

Your laptop is a big investment, so you shouldn't use a flimsy lap protector to hold it. I found the Laptop Desk version 2.0 to be surprisingly durable. I tried to over-extend its hinge to see if it would break, and it help up just fine. I'm not a bowler, so I didn't try dropping a bowling ball on the hinge - a trick they show on the LapWorks Web site.

The Bottom Line
Protecting your legs from burning when when you use your laptop is important, and the Laptop Desk version 2.0 handles that task very well. It folds up for travel, and is versatile enough to work as a desktop stand, too. If you want a lighter weight version for your carry on bag, and are willing to give up a little heat protection, its little brother, the Laptop Desk UltraLite fits the bill.