Although not a hard-core docking station, the LapWorks Attaché laptop stand does double duty as a cooling stand and an ergonomic platform. It has a 12.9 x 11.8 x 1.6-inch frame and can accommodate notebooks with screens up to 15 inches. The matte aluminum face has two large, circular fans in the center and two adjustable feet at the bottom to cradle your notebook. There’s also an adjustable kickstand in the back, which can raise the screen to four different heights.
At 2.8 pounds, the Attaché is on the heavy side; it’s likely to increase the travel weight of your mainstream notebook by at least 50 percent. Moreover, it’s not designed for heavier notebooks. When we paired it with our 8.2-pound, 15-inch Dell Inspiron 8200, which has a tendency to overheat in its old age, the notebook caused the stand to wobble. Only when we tilted the screen forward did it feel secure in its cradle. Since 2.8 pounds is heavy for a travel accessory, we expect it to work with heavier, more homebound notebooks. Because it requires only a USB port, it works with both Macs and PCs.
To start the cooling fan, simply connect the included USB cable from your notebook to one of the Attaché’s four ports. Once connected, the fans will immediately begin whirling. We were pleasantly surprised by how quiet they were, even as we proceeded to work in a quiet room. In the end, the Attaché meets its claims: After working for hours, we placed our hot-to-the-touch Dell on the stand, and within half an hour it felt cooler. When we watched a DVD on a brand-new notebook, the chassis felt even cooler.
We found the Attaché’s ergonomic features less impressive. You can adjust the kickstand to one of four heights to raise the screen to eye level (in this case, LapWorks suggests using an external keyboard and mouse, but we think this creates a cluttered setup). We preferred folding up the kickstand and letting the Attaché lie flat; although this way is less messy, typing on the raised platform was uncomfortable.
The LapWorks Attaché laptop stand is too heavy and bulky to be a road warrior’s accessory. But if you don’t often travel with your laptop and are sure that you want a raised platform, the Attaché works double time as an ergonomic and cooling accessory.
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