Back in February , I wrote about Griffin Technology ’s $ 40 lift , a simple laptop computer stall designed to get your laptop ’s screen up to a more ergonomic height while exploit — with an external keyboard and mouse — at a desk . In the resulting discourse of that article in theMacworldforums , referee joelande sky-high recommended APC’sErgonomic Notebook Stand with 4 - Port USB 2.0 Hub(let ’s just call it “ the Stand ” from here on out ) . My interest piqued , I postulate the folks at APC if we could take a look .
At $ 80 ( ~$65 at street cost ) , the Stand is quite a number more expensive than the Elevator , but it also propose quite a moment more functionality ( if in a less attractive software package ) . For example , the Stand ’s platform is more adjustable than that of most laptop suffer I ’ve tested . The last setting , with the platform nearly level , elevates your laptop computer just under 4.5 inch off the desktop . But press the large button on the Stand ’s base and push on the front of the platform , and the chopine itself slides back and rotates up , advance the back of your laptop 9 inch or so off the desk with the front raise less than 2 in . Two intermediate options offer slenderly less elevation . Although the button and chemical mechanism both feel a turn klunky thanks to the rack ’s credit card expression , they worked reliably for me over several weeks of use .
( Unfortunately , if you ’ve generate a MacBook Pro , you ca n’t use the Stand ’s highest setting , because — unlike other Mac laptops — the MacBook Pro ’s screen door does n’t open far enough to remain erect when the Stand is amply extended . You ’ll have to use one of the two intermediate preferences ; these elevated the top of my 15 - inch MacBook Pro ’s blind 16.7 inches and 15.5 inches , severally , above the desk . I prefer the latter as even the second - highest setting cant over my MacBook Pro ’s screen forward slightly . )
Looking at the photo here , you might be question how you ’d use a laptop with the visual drive on the front — after all , would n’t that front twain block the driving ? Turns out APC in reality considered this when designing the Stand ( not something that can be said about all the laptop computer stands I ’ve seen ) . When you need to insert or remove a disc , you move a minuscule slider on the front of the Stand and the front wall bracket swivel down and out of the way ; when you ’re done , you swing it back up and it locks into position . ( Wo n’t your laptop slither down while the front bracket is released ? The two enceinte golosh pads on the main political program were grippy enough during my examination to keep my MacBook Pro from sliding down on all but the highest height limit . )
One disadvantage of the Stand compare to the Elevator and similar merchandise is that there ’s no distance underneath to salt away your keyboard when you ’re not using it . On the other hand , this design has its own reward : because the Stand is much sturdier than the “ space underneath ” mathematical product , you may in reality typecast on your laptop ’s keyboard temporarily without making the entire laptop bounce around ; the Stand is astonishingly sturdy give its light weight and plasticky flavor .
The other unique feature of the Stand is its built - in , powered , four - port USB 2.0 hub , located in the Stand ’s base of operations . You plug in the included AC adapter and then associate the included two - foot USB cable system between the Stand and your laptop . you could then use up to four USB devices ( well , actually five , believe that recent Mac notebook have two ports , so you should still have one free after connect the Stand to your computer ) .
( Note that the images here , take from APC ’s WWW site , show two USB port wine in the back of the Stand and two on the sides ; on current models , all four porthole are on the back , a better design in my legal opinion , since it results in a less - cluttered desktop . )
A USB hub is useful in world-wide , but I found it to be particularly useful as part of a laptop standpoint — after a few week of use , I ended up thought process of the Stand as a sort of pseudo - docking station . I kept a keyboard , a shiner , a printer , and even a bus - power USB hard private road connected to the Stand ’s hub ; whenever I put my MacBook Pro on the stand and plug in its individual USB cable length , all my devices were at once available . ( Yeah , yeah , I know—“That ’s how a hub works , champion . ” But I found it convenient and less littered to have the hub and stand combined into a individual unit . ) Reader joelande recall these sentiments in our forums : “ one cable to punch in connects my external keyboard , mouse , Treo and television camera . ”
in conclusion , rather of rubber or silicone feet on the bottom , the Stand has four golosh wheels arranged in a rotary pattern . This cunning arrangement keep the Stand from slip around your desk , but allows the Stand to splay , Lazy - Susan - style , so you’re able to reposition your laptop ’s screen to either side for a practiced viewing angle . ( caution : this feature is less useful than it sound if you ’ve actually got four USB devices plugged into the Stand ’s hub — all those cables trammel how much you could in reality rotate the Stand . )
Although it looks plasticky and feels a minute fragile , the Ergonomic Notebook Stand with 4 - Port USB 2.0 Hub is actually fairly hardy and works well , both as a laptop computer stand and a USB hub .
