Lap desks
Holding a laptop on your lap for hours isn't the most comfortable way to work. But sometimes--on the train or in the car at a rest stop--it's your only option. A lap desk can make working on the fly a bit more comfortable by keeping some heat off your lap and providing a stable, level surface for your laptop. Some lap desks are multitaskers, too, with added areas for external mice or the ability to double as a laptop stand for your desk.

Of the laptop lap desks we tested, the Lapinator was by far the most effective at blocking heat, and, it's also the lightest, most comfortable, and at $24.95 (as of February 2005), the least expensive. Weighing only 11 ounces and measuring 12 inches long by 13 inches wide, it's small and light enough to fit in the average laptop bag. The Lapinator features a skid-resistant plastic top over 3M Thinsulate insulation, which draws heat away from your laptop and also keeps the heat off your lap. Legs made of foam insulation make the Lapinator comfortable while dissipating heat. In our informal tests, we couldn't sense any temperature increase under the Lapinator, despite a very warm laptop. The Lapinator ships with two self-adhesive bumpers that affix to the top of the desk, raising the laptop to improve air circulation and cooling. Another extra is a Velcro strap attached to the back of the Lapinator that effectively secures cords.

If you're looking for a lightweight lap desk with a place to put your mouse, this $29.99 (as of February 2005) lap desk may be a good fit. If you're more concerned with stability and protection from heat, however, look elsewhere. The Targus Notebook Portable Lap Desk, which doubles as a laptop stand for your desk, is made from plastic and weighs a mere 15 ounces. When folded, it measures only 11 by 11 inches and can easily slide into the average laptop case. Rubber bumps on the surface securely grip your laptop, while grooves and holes in the lap desk's surface encourage air circulation and cooling under the laptop. In our tests with a hot laptop, the Portable Lap Desk provided some protection from heat, but our laps felt noticeably toasty nonetheless. Folding this lap desk in half converts it into a laptop stand for your desk, but it wobbled when supporting our 7-pound laptop.

The LapWorks Laptop Desk 2.0 is the heavyweight of the lap desks we've seen. At almost 1.5 pounds, it adds significantly to your back strain. Luckily, its price of $29.99 (as of February 2005), its versatility as a lap desk and a laptop stand, and its sturdy construction make up for its awkward size. As a lap desk, the Laptop Desk measures more than 20 inches long, with room for the largest laptops and an external mouse, but it folds in half to 10.5 inches long and 11 inches wide, so it'll fit in most laptop bags. The desk's surface is striped with rubberized material, which securely grips your laptop, and grooves, which increase airflow under the laptop for cooling. The thick plastic desk did an adequate job of insulating our laps against heat in our informal tests, but after about 20 minutes of use with a hot laptop, we noticed some warming. With a quick flip, the Laptop Desk can be transformed into a sturdy laptop stand for your desktop. In our tests, the stand supported our 8-pound laptop with ease.

Laptop users who prefer external mice will be satisfied with Xbrand's Mobile Laptop Lap Desk, which features a large foldout mousing surface. Weighing just more than a pound, the $29.99 (as of February 2005) desk is made of thick plastic and is small enough--14 inches long and 11 inches wide--to fit in most laptop bags. When the mousing surface is extended, a ventilation hole is left in the middle of the Xbrand lap desk that increases airflow under the laptop, encouraging cooling. However, while using a warm laptop with the Xbrand Lap Desk, our legs were warmed by heat coming through the large opening. Rubber pads on the top securely grip the bottom of your laptop, while rubber pads on the bottom of the lap desk firmly grip your legs or other surface, adding more stability to the sturdy Lap Desk.