Raising the laptop

I prefer the back end of my laptop to be raised a good 2 inches or so. I've checked out Laptop Legs, but the footprint is too big. Also, one side of the bottom of my W2 is lower than the other due to the hard drive so if I put Laptop Legs on it one side would be higher than the other. Plus they just wouldn't look good stuck to the bottom of my sleek laptop.

I travel a lot so I'm looking for something that is basically weightless and easy to carry. I don't need them to be stuck to the laptop. I'm thinking about making a trip to the Home Depot to look for some kind of henge or spring device.

Any ideas?

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=34780

 

Do you prefer it for the typing position, or for the cooling? There are a lot of cooling devices out there, and several of them are made with forward tilt (while today's science says that this holdover from mechanical typewriters is actually bad for you, whatever you find comfortable is what feels comfortable!).

 

Thanks Zazonz. At least I'm not alone on this one. I don't really care for the bumpers though. I doubt the part that sticks to the bottom would fit good on the W2. I think I may have to try out the legos though. I could just carry around a bag of them. Funny, I'm thinking about getting the new Lacie Brick, which looks like a lego. I wonder if the TSA would stop me for having all the lego stuff.

 

Hey Slappy. I beat you to it. I want it for viewing purposes. I don't like to be hunched down to desk level. Having the back end raised seems more comfortable.

 

Yeah, the crick in my neck is one of the most annoying parts about using a notebook as my primary (and pretty much only, anymore - my dv4000 kicks the snot out of my desktop these days) computer. At home I have things jerry-rigged so that my computer is at eye-level while I use an external keyboard and mouse, but using the built-in keyboard, there just isn't a nice way to set up the ergonomics.

 

Legos are the bomb! They are rock solid and don't slide unless I choose to slide them. They are basically weightless and will be easily carried in my luggage. The rubber legs on the W2 fits perfectly between the lego spots for excellent support.

Note my choice of colors for easy assembly.

 

Ha ha! That's great. MacGuyver is going to check this out and smile, I'm sure, Darklich!

 

niice.. welcome to the dark side haha:

Lego1
Lego2
Lego3

 

You can also try a Targus Coolpad. The rubber bumpers are stackable, and you can rearrange them to fit around the shape of your computer - each one is about 1/2" high. I used this for years with a lappy that had an uneven bottom, slightly higher on one side, and it worked very well.

Obviously, allowing air to circulate underneath the laptop is a benefit too.

It comes in a traveler's version but that wouldn't give you the height you want. Still, the full-sized version is very portable and takes up only a sliver of space.

But frankly, I like the Legos solution! I'd try that first, actually, if I didn't already have the Coolpad.

Another option would be a keyboard-length wrist rest, in either foam or gel. I've done that with regular keyboards that were too flat, just put the wrist rest under the back edge to raise them a bit, and it worked very well. It should probably work with a lappy too, and it's very portable.

 

Oh man, I LOVE those Lego ideas!!! I gave all mine to my nephew/nieces a long time ago. I'm now seriously thinking about trying to steal back a few bricks.

 

Man I feel very primative compared to some of the ideas here. I just use a box of stables to hold up my W3V. It has been working great for me and it didn't really cost me any extra money.

 

I looked at the Targus Coolpad (both versions) and didn't like them. Mostly because they are too heavy to carry around. The travel version weighs 15oz. That's as much as the power brick. Same goes for the box of staples and the gel rest. I'm already hausing around a W2 plus a Dell D400 work computer among other things. I travel a lot and I needed something essentially weighless and I think the legos are it.

Thanks for the suggestions. I really like seeing other solutions to this problem. A problem that used to be solved by the built in feet. Why the manufacturers would drop this feature seems very odd to me since it's so simple.

 

I tend to worry too much about many things. Does anyone else worry that elevating one end (especially while typing) could put too much stress on the computer's case?

What I might do is cut a piece of balsa or pine to have a slight taper. Nothing large - maybe the size of a stapler or small hole punch. This would actually be light enough to stick in a water bottle pocket. I can imagine TSA reps getting nasty about it, but they might not.

Howie

 

Aha! Reading about giving your Legos away actually made me think od something else: Lincoln Logs! Of course, I could cut up some small dowels incredibly easily, but if anyone has Lincoln Logs, they should work nicely.

Howie

 

i like the lego idea but i am using a block of wood underneath the back of my one and the other i just got a cooler for underneath. legos who would have ever though

 

I use Targus (?) laptop desk. It can be used flat as a desktop or it folds in half with a 45 degree angle. its light and cheap. I think I picked it up at Office Depot