Belkin PocketTop notebook carrying case

Most laptop desks are simple plastic planks with (or without) little feet or risers, meant for keeping your system cool and at a workable angle. Belkin takes a refreshingly different approach with its PocketTop laptop carrying case, pitched as a "mobile workstation," and meant as both a carrying case and a lapdesk.

Like the Belkin Cushtop laptop stand, the $49 PocketTop eschews the dull plastic look for a colorful fabric feel. Our PocketTop was a bright green, but orange and silver versions are available as well. The PocketTop is flat on one side, and curved on the other, with a large cutout handle on the curved side. The stiff, reinforced material offers some protection to your equipment, but that means it's also bulky, and not as easy to carry as a traditional laptop case.

You can use the PocketTop in a couple of ways. Open the zipper and a laptop (15-inch or smaller) can sit inside on the built-in rubberized feet, while the curved lid of the PocketTop sits behind it at a 90-degree angle. A small pass-through hole lets you route a power cable to a compartment built into the case's lid, which can keep the power supply brick out of sight. We could also zip up the case, flip it over, and place the rounded lid against our lap, leaving the flat back of the case free to use as a lapdesk.

The PocketTop's design and construction are top-notch, but note that this is meant primarily for home or office use, not travel--the case lacks a real handle or carrying strap. But it may be the perfect solution for a select group of users who want to take their laptop and accessories easily from one room to another and also have a work surface that travels with them.