Product Requirements:
Device:
12-19" Notebook computers
As The Gadgeteer, I always enjoy showing the latest gadgets to my friends and
family. Most of the time, they just humor me, nod and smile. I mean, how can
they get all that excited from seeing yet another leather PDA case or similar
doo-dad? Well, the other day I was able to actually mystify a few people when I
showed them the XT-Stand from GJB
Enterprises. I played the "Can you guess what this is" game with them.
The XT-Stand ships in a 191.6 x 62 x 35.2mm plastic box. Opening the box
reveals an interesting item.
One person that I showed it to thought it was a tripod. Another just took it
out of the box and stared at it for awhile, not even guessing at what its
function might be.
Constructed of stainless steel with a titanium alloy coating, the XT-Stand
looks impressive. It doesn’t take long to figure out that the device is folded
up to maintain a compact shape. Unfolding it reveals an X shape.
Still unsure what this might be used for? Since you already know the name of
the product, most of you won’t be surprised to discover that the XT-Stand is a
laptop/notebook stand. But it isn’t just any old stand, it’s a portable one.
When fully unfolded, the stand can accommodate laptops from 12" to 19" in
size. The X shape works well to support even heavy old laptops like this ancient
10lb Dell Inspiron.
Stands like these help to position your laptop keyboard and display at a
better angle for typing and viewing. The XT-Stand also helps keep your computer
cool by increasing airflow to the bottom of the casing.
The back supports and legs of the XT-Stand are adjustable using a spring ball
and socket mechanism. Rubber feet protect both your desk and the bottom of your
laptop from scratches.
The stand is simple to use and has a very industrial look to it that I really
like. It would match well with any Apple PowerBooks model. Unfortunately, the
only full size notebook in my computer room right now, is the Dell. Right away I
noticed what I thought would be a pretty bad flaw with the XT-Stand. The front
of the stand is not height adjustable, so front loading floppy drives and CD
drives will have problems with accessibility.
Luckily the folks that designed the XT-Stand recognized this problem and
added an ability to raise the notebook when access to front loading drives is
needed. To do this, you just tip back the laptop, and flip up the spring loaded
center support. When you do, the laptop is raised about 2 inches in the air.
You won’t want to use the laptop in this orientation all the time, but for
quick access to drives, it works quite well.
Tip the laptop up again and the center support springs back flat so that you
can lower the laptop back onto the desk.
While you can use the XT-Stand as your main laptop stand, I think it’s better
suited for the road warrior that likes to setup an ergonomic work area even when
they are on the road.
An added bonus is the fact that the plastic box that the XT-Stand travels in,
doubles as a media card holder. Slots in the box can accommodate 4 CF card, 9 SD
cards, 5 Memory Sticks and 4 XD cards. Pretty nifty!
If you are a notebook owner and a traveler, the XT-Stand is definitely worth
checking into. It performs its intended function quite well, and looks great
while doing it.
Price: $39.95
Pros:
Portable laptop stand
Rugged construction
Adjustable
Box doubles as media card storage
Cons:
None
Product Information
| Price: | 39.95 |
| Manufacturer: | GJB Enterprises |
| Pros: |
|
| Cons: |
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This looks like a great product, and I was really excited about it till I saw the price. I wouldn’t use it enough to be able to justify the cost. But boy would I like too.
I have been using a plastic laptop stand with my ThinkPad while traveling to get the angle of the keyboard slightly raised and to let air flow underneath it. I often work for long periods in hotel rooms and my ThinkPad has a permanent raised stand on my office desk.
However, I have been working hard recently at cutting down the amount/weight of stuff I travel with. The laptop stand is solid plastic, but still weighs 8-9 oz, I think, plus the size. What I did was take a dried sponge, cut off a piece about 5″ long, 1″ high, and 1-1/2″ thick. Then I stick pieces of eGrip to both sides. This was a used dried sponge that’s fairly stiff, not a new sponge that’s still springy.
I stick it under the laptop at the back under the battery and it holds it at the right angle and doesn’t slide at all. And the sponge weighs so little I can’t get it to register on the kitchen scale.
Cheers,
Leo
Sounds like a good Macgyver solution! 😉
I bought this stand based on the Gadgeteer review, and absolutely love it! I’ve long used a Roadtools Traveler CoolPad swivel stand, but now can’t use anything but the XT-stand. The stability is unmatched, the height is fully adjustable, and in fact the apparatus is quite portable with the included case. My Powerbook G4 12″ seems like an entirely new machine with this stand; heat dissipates better and the additional two inches for the screen makes the viewing angle much better.
nyc10021:
Great news! Glad you agreed with my findings 😀 This stand definitely compliments a Powerbook!
xbrand has a product that collapses and weights only 6.25oz + looks cool for about half the price http://www.xbrandproducts.com – it’s called Cool Travel
If you have a very hot laptop (my Dell D800 falls into that category) and especially if you leave it running for many hours (several days at 24H/day in my case), this is the perfect stand. Better than XBRand because it lets air flow under the laptop with minimal obstruction — but also you can add a Stinger crossflow fan … Google “Stinger fan” or go to
http://www.hifisoundconnection.com/Shop/Control/Product/fp/vpid/1331967/vpcsid/0/SFV/30046
and a little 12VDC power supply (send me email if you want instructions how to do that) and keep your laptop totally cool.
Hello,
Sorry to restart an old topic, but I was wondering what maximum height the XT-Stand props one’s laptop up to. One person’s comment below mentions 2 inches, but is that the highest that it goes?
Thanks,
Lisa
I thought about buying something, then thought “what would MacGyver do?”
I stuck a Post It pad under the back. Works fine.