Keynamics Laptop Stand Review

Since purchasing my PowerBook, I’ve been actively trying out all sorts of
laptop specific products and accessories. So far, I’ve found a great

keyboard and a decent

wireless mouse for it. While the

Lapvantage Laptop Stand that I reviewed was nice, I find that I’m still on
the look out for the perfect stand that will make my desktop computing
experience the most comfortable it can be.

When the folks at Keynamics sent me
information regarding their ergonomic laptop stand, I was intrigued. Their
product was unlike any that I had seen so far. Available in either black or
beige, their stand has the ability to be used either on top of a desk, or
hanging off the edge of a desk. Yes, you read that correctly…

The shell of this stand is made of a tough ABS plastic resin material that
does not bend or flex at all. This material feels so strong that I wouldn’t be
surprised if you could drop it off the top of a building and it not be harmed.

The shell is comprised one molded piece of plastic designed with a flat
surface to support your laptop. Rubber strips and a plastic lip at the bottom
edge of the shell keeps the laptop from sliding down the inclined surface.

The bottom of the stand has a large steel weight and another rubber strip
that rests on the top of the desk when the stand is used in the cantilever
position. More about using this stand in that position in a minute.

As you can also see from the pictures above, there are 2 wheels at the back
of the stand. These are actually skateboard wheels if you can believe that. They
allow you to smoothly slide the stand horizontally across the desktop with
little effort. Too bad they couldn’t swivel to allow for vertical movement too.

The two circular disks that you see are called Levelers. They are adjustable
rubber pads that can be tilted to almost any angle since they are mounted on
swivels. The idea is to unscrew and tilt them in such a way that the bottom of
your laptop rests against them and the rubbers strips on the surface of the
stand. Depending on the size of the laptop, it may only rest on half of the
levelers, or not on them at all. My 15 inch PowerBook rests on half the
levelers.

Once you have the levelers adjusted for your specific laptop, you’re ready to
use this stand either on top or over the edge of your desk.

Depending on how high your desk is, using the stand on top may or may not be
all that comfortable for you. Although it does raise the screen to a nice
viewing height, I found that typing on the inclined keyboard felt a bit
unnatural for me.

That’s where the cantilever position comes into play…

As you can see, the bottom of the stand has a notch in the shell. You place
the stand over the desk’s edge in such a way that it rests right in that notch.
The rubber strip and 8 pound weight at the back of the stand keeps it from
tipping over and moving around on top of the desk. Yes, it does look kind of
frightening to see your laptop perched on the edge of the desk like that, but in
use, it feels pretty secure.

That said, I was slightly worried that it might fall. Several times I caught
myself accidentally brushing against it when turning my chair around to face my
side desk. I was also worried that my new kitten might jump up and cause both
the stand and my PowerBook to fall on the floor. In my opinion, I wouldn’t use this stand in
the cantilever position if I had
small children or pets around. Think about it, this thing weighs 10lbs on its
own. Add a 7-8lb laptop and it’s going to leave a big mark if it
falls on your foot! There really  needs to be a method to secure the
stand to the desktop when used in this way.

So what is the cantilever position really supposed to do for you? Well, according to
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(A.K.A. OSHA), this lowered position creates a more neutral ergonomic posture
when you also recline your chair slightly. I used this stand in this position
for several weeks and found it to be pretty comfortable for both my wrists and
my neck.

In use, the only real problem that I encountered had to do with my particular
notebook. The lip of the Keynamics stand is too close to the opening for the CD
drive and cover release button on my PowerBook. Whenever I would want to insert
or eject a CD, I would have to tip up the bottom of the computer because I was
afraid of it raking against the top edge of the lip.

People that have CD drives located in the front of their laptop that eject a
tray, will have even more trouble using this stand.

Another thing to consider before buying the Keynamics stand is the fact that it’s
heavy. At 10 lbs 4 oz., you’re definitely not going to be taking this with you
when you travel. If you want a stand that you can use everywhere, a better
option might be something similar to the Road Tools
CoolPad.

Although this product is unique, the issues that it has really keep me from
recommending it. I’ll be anxious to see new models as improvements are made.

Price: $79.99

Pros:
Rugged
Unique cantilever position

Cons:
Heavy
No way to secure the stand to the desktop while using it in the cantilever
position
Bottom lip may conflict with latches and CD drives.