While there definitely was a surge in usage of tablet devices in 2010, laptops remain the number one portable computing device for their power of functionality merged with relative ease of portability. This freedom of mobility, according to AViiQ co-founder Alan Yeung, is essential for the modern-day worker, and remaining comfortable while working outside of the office, whether it be at an airport, a hotel room, or coffee shop, is key to staying productive. Laptops are the ultimate device for working on the go, but they often lend themselves to two separate, but important concerns – unhealthy posture for the user and device overheating. The AViiQ Portable Laptop Stand – a 2010 International CES Innovations award winner – aims to alleviate both problems.
There are many laptop stand options available to the consumer, but the large majority of them are quite bulky and cumbersome, especially for the traveling business professional. The AViiQ Portable Laptop Stand eliminates the bulkiness by relying on a composite material called Hylite® that is extremely strong yet light. The entire laptop stand weighs only 5.5 ounces, a mere pittance compared to fan-based laptop stands that can weigh upwards of two pounds. The AViiQ laptop stand is very easy to assemble – all it requires is a few steps of folding (similar to origami, the designers state) and you are good to go. The rubber tabs didn't slip once during my week of testing, so you won't have to worry about the stand and your laptop flying off the table.
Performance wise, the AViiQ laptop stand scores well, though more so for improving posture than for device cooling. The 12 degree angle was very comfortable and should help alleviate user wrist pain following long sessions of laptop use. As far as helping cool my laptop, the AViiQ laptop stand did measure some improvement. Monitoring my CPU temperature via third-party software, the reading was 46 degrees Celsius, compared to 56 degrees Celsius with no stand. While this is a good improvement, is was not as good as my other fan-based laptop stand, which measured 39 degrees Celsius. Nevertheless, a 10 degree drop is a good improvement without the use of a fan.
The AViiQ Portable Laptop Stand provides 2" of airflow space to keep your laptop cool.
The AViiQ Portable Laptop Stand is a solid product, thought I do have a few critiques. First, my laptop (Dell Vostro 1500, 15.4" monitor) is really large and heavy, and in order to keep it from leaning off the laptop stand I had to tilt it toward me at an angle less than the 90 degrees seen in the above picture. My laptop was held up fine, but the screen angle required to keep it from tilting backward was quite annoying. It's clear from the promotional video (available here) as well as the promotional pictures that this device is intended for users of thinner and lighter laptops, which mostly includes Mac users. This brings me to my second critique – the price. At $79.95, the laptop stand is quite pricey. This probably is no problem for Mac users, who are used to paying 3X as much for their laptops versus PC users anyway, but the price still warrants some hesitation. If portability is your number one priority, then the AViiQ Portable Laptop Stand is a recommended product. But for users who want a laptop stand for everyday desk use – and better cooling performance – there are a myriad number of fan-based laptop stands starting at prices half or even less than $79.95, and they all have a 4+ star rating on Amazon.com.
[AViiQ Portable Laptop Stand] – $79.95
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