Hate laptop desks because most of them force you to use the useless touchpad or run your mouse over a fluffy arm rest? Hate laptop desks because most of them are just a big blob of wood or plastic that just takes up space? Looking for a laptop desk that isn’t too bad? Interested in a product that has some interesting features even if you aren’t interested in laptop desks? Tired of laptop desk reviews? Ok, well then you probably don’t want to click to continue. Otherwise, this Rocketfish laptop desk has some subtle features that even Inspector Gadgeteer would approve of.
At first look, it’s just a standard laptop desk. Ho hum.
But, hidden inside the unit on both sides are two pop-out mouse stands, one on the left, and one on the right.
This is probably the best thing about the stand, but the button is a little klunky and could be smoother. Still, having a retractable mouse stand trumps that issue, I think.
In addition to the mouse stand, each side has an optional swivel-out storage pocket.
But wait there’s more: You can actually remove the storage pocket which then reveals a cup holder.
As can be seen in the photos, the cup holder shelf can be removed to allow you to hold those longer, tapered cups received from restaurants.
When all set up, you can have your mouse and coffee too.
Since the bottom of the desk is fabric, it’s not uncomfortable. It provides some insulation from the discomfort of a hot laptop after a while, but in the summer it seems (for me anyway) to start having heat transfer after an hour our so. It’s better than my other laptop desk, however, which is all wooden.
While the cup holder is a neat feature, using it comfortably depends on your individual sitting position. If your chair, for example, is narrow, the cup can be pushed out or tipped over. It can take some balancing to get the right angle.
The same can be said for the mouse stand: the mouse can slide down easily if you tend to slouch and throw your feet up on a foot rest. It’s also pretty slick so I usually throw a mouse pad on top of it.
The little storage drawer is a nifty feature and allows you to store memory sticks, small retractable cables, nose rings, and so on. But it’s a little too small to store a mouse, a pair of reading glasses, or various CD’s or DVD’s, and that’s why you see the little storage bag on top of the actual laptop PC in these photos. I store stuff in the pencil case that is velcro-ed to the top of the PC so that everything is fairly tidy.
With the pencil case on top of the PC, this system works pretty well for me. And, while this desk has some pretty thoughtful ingenuity ingrained in it, a few other ideas could be incorporated including:
- Storage for a mouse
- Storage for power unit for lap top
- Storage for reading glasses and pencils/pens and permanent markers
- Built-in or easily-added mouse pad
- Improved mouse desk extraction/slider button
- Better insulation
- Sometimes the PC slides down the desk (when in a super slouch, for example) and it would be nice if it were a non-slide surface
Overall, not a bad system, though.
Product Information
| Price: | $39.99 |
| Manufacturer: | Rocketfish |
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