PowerBook Mystique Review - Keynamics Wheeled Laptop/Keyboard Stand - Plus PowerBook Mystique Mailbag
by Charles W. Moore
Portable computers, which now represent a substantial proportion of systems sold, and in recognition of the ergonomic shortcomings of the laptop form factor — Raise the screen to correct the viewing angle and your keyboard is too high for proper keying. Lower the keyboard for proper "neutral wrists" and the screen is too low for proper viewing. — an amazing diversity of laptop stands have been brought to market.
Laptop stands come in roughly three categories.
The first, simplest, and oldest are stands that are designed to help the computer run cooler, and/or keep your lap cooler as well, with the machine used in conventional laptop mode with its built-in keyboard and trackpad. Examples include the Road Tools CoolPads, the LapWorks Laptop Desk, and the fan-cooled Targus Notebook Chill Mat.
Then there are stands designed to support more comfortable and ergonomic use of laptops in desktop substitute mode, in conjunction with an external keyboard and pointing device, such as the Lapvantage Dome, the Contour NoteRiser, and the Griffin iCurve.
The third category encompasses stands intended to make laptop computing more comfortable when sitting or reclining away from a desk, examples being the Laptop Laidback and the Dexia Rack.
However, there's a fourth category, represented by the Keynamics Laptop Stand, which is different from anything else on the market. The Keynamics' unique features are that it incorporates a couple of skateboard wheels, which make it easy to shift the computer out of your immediate workspace when you're at a desk or table, and its facility to orient the laptop's keyboard at a more comfortable angle that if it was sitting flat on the work surface -- by cantilevering it over the edge of the desk or table anchored by a heavy weight in the stand unit.
Keynamics also addresses laptop ergonomics, such as the need to raise your laptop screen toward the plane of your eyes and the need to hold your wrists at a neutral posture, and satisfies these objectives without your having to buy a separate keyboard or an external monitor.
It is estimated that 48% to as high as 95% of computer users are not touch typists. Most folks, we hunt & peck typists, must continually switch our gaze to the keyboard to control finger placement and accuracy, then back up again at the screen, causing neck stress, which can result in transient discomfort or even chronic muscoskeltal disorders. Consequently, for non touch typists, an elevated keyboard could actually be more ergonomic than the recommended "below the elbows" position.
All laptop stands facilitate raising your laptop , but the Keynamics Stand is the only ergonomic device for laptops that lets you really lower your keyboard, below your desktop level. A typical desk height is 29 inches, which is both too high for proper keying and too low for proper viewing. I prefer a keyboard platform about 24-25 inches high. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the Department of Labor (OSHA) says that, if you recline in your chair, this lowered position for your keyboard creates a more neutral ergonomic posture than you may otherwise have. This goes against the grain of the "said up straight" conventional wisdom we had drilled into us as kids, but it makes intuitive sense to me. For instance, when driving I prefer to recline the seat back about 35 degrees, which I find much more comfortable and relaxing them sitting bold upright. Reclining transfers much of the downward pressure off your spine. The design of the Keynamic stand conforms in every respect with recommendations from OSHA.
For a graphic demonstration of the Keynamic stand in use, see:
http://www.laptop-ergonomics.com
The Keynamics stand can also provide many similar benefits when employed as a keyboard tray for a desktop computer or a laptop mounted on a conventional laptop stand with an external keyboard and mouse connected. In trying this mode out, I found that it was a comfortable keyboard placement, but made the reach to the mouse on its desktop mousepad a bit long and awkward.
Why the skateboard wheels? Well, because of the anchor weight, the Keynamics itself weighs 10 pounds, making its built-in carry handle more than a thoughtful convenience. Add the weight of a six or eight pound laptop, and you have one hefty package. The skateboard wheels make moving the combined unit aside and back comfortably easy. No other product on the market allows a laptop to just be wheeled out the way, when not in use. With other products, the laptop must be picked up.
The Keynamics also elevates the laptop and can be used with external input devices when that's desirable. Greg Bright conceived the ability to functionally separate the screen and keyboard, and move the laptop around the desk, in the usual place, his garage. Greg has one patent approved and two others pending on his invention.
The Keynamics Laptop Stand additionally promotes convection cooling by angling the laptop, allowing the heat to travel up and out the back. Added air space when the laptop rests on the rear levelers also promotes air flow.
The stand has two pockets flanking the adjustable levelers, whose main function is to provide stability for the wheel axle bolt, but can also hold most cell phones, PDAs, keys, paper clips, etc.
If you'll pardon a digression, Greg built the prototype for the Keynamics stand out of beautiful red oak, and knowing I am interested in woodworking was kind enough to send me a photo.
Of necessity, alas, the production Keynamics stand is made of ten pounds of steel and engineered ABS plastic resin. It is available in both black and white.
According to Greg, “you will not find pictures of people operating a laptop on a desk, be it in a magazine or on a website”. Why show someone hunching over a keyboard, with an unnatural posture for their back and their hands? It is no way to sell laptops! Yet, most of us buy laptops for this very reason -- to use on a desk, at least part of the time. "
How securely will the Keynamics stand hold laptops in place, with a real assurance that it won't fall? Bright has tested his stand to a weight load of twenty pounds, more than twice the weight of any Apple laptop save for the original Mac Portable. The stand incorporates a substantial support lip that works with the front lip of your laptop, regardless whether squared, rounded, or lipped — plus a “landing strip” of sticky 70 durometer rubber material made by 3M.
The back of the laptop rests on inverted levelers, which also have the sure grip of the 70 durometer 3M material, to ensure that the laptop, whatever its design, will fit solidly and securely the stand. The Keynamics stand handles my WallStreet PowerBook — one of the biggest, heaviest Apple laptops ever made, with ease.
Despite its "desk-hugging" weight, the stand and laptop unit can be easily wheeled out of the way, when it is necessary to work by hand at a desk. The skateboard wheels are complemented by hex head axle bolts and ABEC ball bearings to provide the slickest movement possible across the desk.
The Keynamics is not the sort of laptop stand that you will ever consider stuffing in your laptop case or backpack to take road warrioring, but for the legions of laptop users who operate mainly in desktop substitute mode, it's a solid and substantial piece of engineering unlike anything else on the market. Well worth considering.
Keynamics laptop stand features in summary:
A LAPTOP STAND WITH WHEELS
-Supports Laptop at a 25 Degree Angle Off the Edge Of the Desk
-Supports Laptop at a 20 Degree Angle On Top Of The Desk
-Supports up to 20 Pounds on the Angled Surface in the Cantilevered Position
-3M Resilient “BUMPON” Roll Stock Landing Strips and Bottom Edge Gripper - 70 Durometer With Heavy Duty Synthetic Rubber Adhesive
-Front Support Lip
-Total Weight: 10 lbs.
-Dimensions: 14” Wide x 13” Deep x 4” Tall
-Eight Pound - 5/16 Cold Rolled Steel Anchor Plate Powder Coated
-Extra Thick, engineered ABS Plastic Resin Body
-54mm x 36 mm 90 Durometer Skateboard Wheels
-High Performance ABEC Skateboard Ball Bearings
-Nickel Plated Hex Head Axle Bolt
-Industrial Grade 2” Diameter, 5/16” Threaded Shank Swivel Levelers
The Keynamics retail price is $79.99.
A limited time, introductory special offers free shipping and handling - up to $20 value (valid for UPS Ground Service only in the Continental US)
For more information, visit:
http://www.laptop-ergonomics.com
Canadian customers contact:
http://www.ergocanada.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=keynamic
Price: CAN$105.00
PowerBook Mystique Mailbag
Considering PowerBook
Virtual PC
Screen Zooming
Considering PowerBook
From Azeem Ali
hi, im a yr4 medical student, im currently looking at laptop options The apple PowerBooks seem most appealing thus far and I thought i had made up my mind ...however...i heard that apple is shifting to an intel processor next yr and then reconsidered waiting till then to buy.... i really know the decision is mine...but do you know how soon in 2006 the intel based MacPowerbook will be out...i can wait...but i cant wait toooooo long.....
thanks
azeem ali
Hi Azeem;
I have no inside knowledge, but there seems to be a fairly broad consensus that the portable lines will be among the first Apple products to be released with the Intel processors. The projected release date is June, 2006.
The latest scuttlebutt is that no major upgrades of the current machines is planned before the transition, so if appropriate chip sets become available, it wouldn't greatly surprise me if we were to see some introductions before June, although it's also possible that there could be holdups that could cause unforeseen delays.
I'm on the horns of something the same dilemma myself. I have gone longer than ever before without upgrading to a new system, and both of my front-line Apple laptops are getting pretty long in the tooth. The conundrum is whether to by one more new PowerPC machine to carry me over the transition, or to wait for the Intel models. There is a case to be made for doing either, and backward software compatibility is one that speaks loudly to me, but would not be a compelling issue for someone like yourself who is just getting on board.
That said, the current, PowerPC PowerBooks are wonderful machines, with the bugs will worked out of them, and I can't see that purchasing one right away would be looked on in hindsight as a mistake. Both Apple and third-party software vendors will continue to support the PowerPC platforms for several years to come, and of course Apple's own transition is not expected to be complete until 2008.
If a new PowerBook right now would be useful to you, then I would encourage you to go for it.
Charles
From Alan Williams
Charles, say it ain't so! You just reviewed a Windows laptop.
Of course, you said nothing about the OS. Thanks for that.
I read that some hacker had the first version of Tiger for Intel working on that chip. Still, red in anything but a Testarossa does absolutely nothing for me. My wife would like it though. But XP! It's the very definition of lipstick on a pig, with the pig being XP.
Alan Williams
Hi Alan;
Have no fear. There is no chance of me defecting to Windows XP, and I'm not really interested in hacks of OS X to run on PC hardware, at least for my personal use.
However, I still love the look of the Acer Ferrari laptops, and the 4000 model is a very decent computer hardware wise as well. It would make a nice Linux box for those so inclined.
I have to say that while all Ferraris are sublime, the Testarossa it not one of my favorites. I prefer the front engine V-12 models, and I like the styling of the Berlinetta Boxer better than the TR when it's overdone cheese-slicer air scoops.
Charles
From RBM Boucher
Hello Charles:
I'm back at you after some previous emails we exchanged on the Power PC to Intel transition. Have continued to enjoy reading your emails on various Mac/notebook issues. If you have a minute, could you tell me your impressions of Virtual PC?
I started a new job and my boss is insisting I need a PC because the company will be running "SAP-like" business applications from an unnamed company designed for small businesses. It runs on Windows XP. Further, I can't see where I would be using the app all that often, certainly not everyday, and even if I did, no longer than 30 mins to an hour. I have used Macs for years - and really don't want to have to change.
What are your impressions of Virtual PC? Do you know the performance hit versus running directly on a Windows machine? And if that really matters. Any related info you could add, or web links that could shed more light on this would also be appreciated.
Naturally, I am hoping that Virtual PC will allow me to do the work I need to on this application, but otherwise use OS X, Mac Office, etc.
Thanks,
Rick Boucher
Hi Rick;
I wish I could help you out, but I haven't used Virtual PC since way back in Classic days, so any direct impressions I have would be both stale and somewhat irrelevant.
However, as a general observation, there is a substantial diminishment of performance running Windows applications under emulation in virtual PC, although the degree of slowdown depends on a number of variables, such as the power of the Mac being used, and the demands imposed by the program itself.
For the sort of use you describe, I would imagine that Virtual PC would likely do the job for you, and allow you to continue using a Mac, which ultimately would be advantageous to your employer, since most of us find that we are a lot more efficient on Macs, and of course the on-going struggle with malware on the Windows platform amounts to a tremendous waste of time.
You can find a thorough review of Virtual PC 7 by MacWorld's Robert Ellis here: http://www.macworld.com/2005/01/reviews/virtualpc7/index.php
Charles
From Oliver Starkey
Charles,
I was cleaning out my inbox when I came across an old email. I mention being annoyed by the small screen of the 12". Well, I went to the Apple store and was talking to one of the Apple salesman. I mentioned wanting everything bigger. He showed me the Universal Access part of the OS. You can zoom the whole screen. I really like it and it has taken some of the pressure off of getting a new laptop. If I had a 15 PB I would zoom it up pretty good with just a little work space to the right. That would be perfect. As it stands, it really makes the iBook more useable to me.
Thought you might like to be aware of it if you weren't already.
O. S.
Hi Oliver;
I'm glad that universal access has proved to be a helpful workaround for you. Personally, I have no problem with the 12-inch display at its standard 1024 x 768 resolution, but if one does, I can imagine that zoom function really helps.
Charles