An oval-shaped burst differentiates the chic Futura design, and it will be LapWorks’ first laptop cooler to come optionally in fashion colors in the coming months, says LapWorks President Joe Calero. The initial units, in "gun-metal" gray, retail for US$29.95 directly from LapWorks.
To improve laptop cooling over previous designs, LapWorks created open ventilation slots that were previously closed channels so cool air can enter from under the Futura, elongated these slots by two inches so hot air has a better pathway to escape from under wide-screen notebooks, and created a 1/8-inch air space to let cool air circulate under the notebook with rubber pads that lift and separate it from the Futura.
In the next three months LapWorks plans to offer the Futura in hand-painted colors similar to iPod/MP3 player skins. The company also plans to offer customized Futura paint jobs.
The Laptop Desk Futura weighs just over a pound and folds in half to 11 x 10.75 inches and one-half of an inch thick for traveling in any computer bag. It's constructed of ABS plastic, and carries a one-year warranty.
As a desktop stand, the Futura folds into a wedge shape that offers five typing angles that incline the notebook’s keyboard for more ergonomically comfortable use than when set flat on a desk. It also elevates the screen 3.75 inches closer to eye level at maximum incline to reduce neck strain.
Because of the limited mousing space on the Futura, customers who prefer an external mouse when using a laptop on their lap should consider the Laptop Desk 2.0 or the slightly longer, yet lighter Laptop Desk UltraLite which was designed to support notebooks weighing less than five pounds. Later this year, LapWorks expects to offer a snap-on MouzPad to expand the Futura’s mousing area.
