AViiQ has developed a laptop stand that weighs 5.5 ounces, folds into something that is only 0.25 inches thick and holds up to a 17-inch laptop. If you, or someone you know, frequently trudges through airports, computer bag in hand (or on shoulders) you should take a good look that this new product.

The Basics
The composition: The body is made from Hylite, which is a composite material made from aluminum sheets bonded to a polypropylene core. Strips of the aluminum are milled away, leaving the polypropylene to work like hinges so the stand can be folded.

The dimensions:

• Unfolded: 11 x 9 x 1.75-inches
• Folded: 12.75 x 2.75 x 0.25-inches
• Keyboard Angle: 12 degrees
• Weight: 5.5 oz

The AViiQ Laptop Stand

Using The Product
If you look at the picture, you will notice the white lines that dissect the stand. Each white line is a fold point. To use the stand, or put it away, you just fold or unfold it. There is a cloth bag to hold the folded stand. There are rubber feet that both hold your computer in place and hold the stand in place.

Although the composition material helps dissipate the heat from your computer, the rubber feet that hold the fold in place, also raise your computer another quarter inch off the stand, allowing for additional air flow. Those feet have a slot lock in place to keep them from slipping.

The Bottom Line
I constantly preach the advisability of using stands with laptops to promote air flow and lengthen the life of our Macs, so when I see a new stand I am interested in checking it out. This one has much to offer the traveler. Certainly the light weight is an enormous factor, but the ability to fold it up is also an asset for many travelers. At US$79.95 you will pay for that convenience, but I'm not sure that comfort really has a price.

The only negative I can see is that you can't adjust the keyboard angle, but again, for travel, that is not the most important element. I have used it for two weeks, opening and closing it frequently as a test, and have not observed any problems at all with the white folding lines. I would buy one of these in a heartbeat if I had frequent travelers to buy gifts for.