Flexible eWheelie Stand Improves Notebook Use at Your Desk
Charles Moore - 2006.05.08 - Tip Jar
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Memory To Go Special: New 2008 iMac 2GB $42 / iMac Intel Core2 DUO & MacBook Pro 2GB $36 - 1GB $20. MacPro 8 Core Memory 4GB kit $154 / 2GB kit $94 -- Free shipping available.
Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com
LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
OWC: OWC Mercury On-The-Go FW400/800/USB2/eSATA Portables High Performance A/V Rated, **Bus Powered** **Up to 500GB in the Palm of your Hand** Macworld Editor's Choice, CNET 'Very Good' - from $75.99!
Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.
New iMac 800Mhz Memory 4GB $90, 2GB $45 - Click to Maximize your Macs...
The increasing popularity of notebook computers, which represent a majority of Apple systems sold, has resulted in an amazing diversity of laptop stands offered by third-party vendors. Laptop stands roughly divide into 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 LapBottom [seemingly discontinued - ed], 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, some examples being the Lapvantage Loft Ergonomic Laptop Stand, 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.
There's a
fourth category, represented by the Keynamics eWheelie Laptop Stand,
which is different from anything else on the market. The eWheelie's
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 working at a desk or table, and its
facility to orient the laptop's keyboard at a more comfortable
angle than 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.
Why skateboard
wheels? Well, because of the anchor weight, the eWheelie 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
shifting 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.
This extended placement also lowers your keyboard. All laptop stands facilitate raising your laptop, but the eWheelie Stand is the only laptop stand that lets you really lower your keyboard, to where your keyboard sits below your desktop. 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. The design of the Keynamics stand conforms in every respect with recommendations from OSHA.
For a graphic demonstration of the Keynamics stand in use, see http://www.laptop-ergonomics.com
The eWheelie 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 so you can move the laptop around the desk. He has one patent approved and two others pending on this invention.
The eWheelie 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 it
can also hold most cell phones, PDAs, keys, paper clips, etc.
If you'll pardon a
digression, Greg built the prototype for the eWheelie 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 eWheelie 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's 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 eWheelie stand hold a laptop in place with a real
assurance that it won't fall? Greg 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 edge of your laptop - regardless whether
it's 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 (a measure
of the hardness of polymers, elastomers, and rubber) 3M material,
to ensure that the laptop, whatever its design, will fit solidly
and securely on the stand. The eWheelie stand handles my wife's old
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. True to Greg's garage background, the stand uses skateboard wheels complemented by hex head axle bolts and ABEC ball bearings to provide the slickest movement possible across the desk.
The eWheelie is
not the sort of laptop stand that you will ever consider stuffing
in your laptop case or backpack to take on the road (Keynamics has
just a US$20 lightweight, stores-flat laptop stand called the
Aviator that is ideal for taking along on the road), 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. It's well worth considering.
eWheelie laptop stand features in summary:
- Supports laptop at a 25° angle off the edge of the desk
- Supports laptop at a 20° angle on top of the desk
- Supports up to 20 pounds on the angled surface in the cantilevered position
- 3M resilient "Bumpon" rollstock landing strips and bottom edge gripper - 70 durometer with roll stock landing strips and bottom edge gripper
- 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 eWheelie's retail price is $119, but it's currently on sale
for $89. 
- Link: Keynamics
Charles Moore has been a freelance journalist since 1987 and writing for Mac websites since May 1998. His The Road Warrior column is a regular feature on MacOpinion, and he is a news editor and columnist at Applelinks.com.
Recent Miscellaneous Ramblings
- Only Leopard Runs Routine Maintenance Tasks after Startup or Waking from Sleep, 09.04. Mac OS X 10.5 runs routine system maintenance scripts as soon as possible after starting up or waking up your Mac. Earlier versions of OS X do not do this.
- Another Free POP3 Provider, Recharging a Dead PRAM Battery, Current Kanga Value, and More, 09.03. GMX email now available in US, Panasonic UJ-841S drive won't burn discs, restoring a dead PRAM battery in a Pismo, and thoughts on Kanga value today.
- Resurrecting a Dead Pismo, Spotlight Search Tip, and EasyFind a Good File Finder, 08.27. Lots of tips on bringing a comatose Pismo back to life, a Spotlight file name search tip, and EasyFind as an alternative to Spotlight.
- Does Running OS X System Maintenance Routines Really Do Any Good?, 08.26. Mac OS X is designed to run certain maintenance routines daily, weekly, and monthly - but can't if your Mac is off or asleep.
- More in the Miscellaneous Ramblings index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Mac LC III, Feb. 1993 - The first LC without compromise: 25 MHz 68030 CPU, 32-bit memory, up to 36 MB of RAM.
- List of the Day: G4 'Books an email list for G4 iBooks and PowerBooks.
- September 8 in LEM history: 99: Big sound from the little iMac - Ethernet alternative to USB drives - 00: Building a back-to-school bundle - 03: 17" 1.25 GHz iMac G4 - My Mac Plus revisited - 06: Inside your notebook's battery - Andy Hertzfeld, software wizard - OS X is a pleasure to use - MacBook random shutdown - Core2 7% faster
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Anticipation: New iPods Now, New Macs Later, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 09.05. The season of new iPods is at hand, but new Macs may wait until 2009.
- Buy a MacBook Now or Wait?, MacBook touch Patents, Samsung X360 Takes on MBA, and More, The 'Book Review, 09.05. Also 20 years of portable Macs, data backup and preservation, universal U-Charge battery charger for Mac 'Books, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,699, and more.
- Listen to Just the Music with the V-Moda Vibe Earbuds, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 09.05. Well built, the noise canceling earbuds will let you hear all the nuances of your music without letting through background noise.
- Source of iPhone 3G Problems, Army Uses iPods as Field Translators, Gains with Business, and More, iNews Review, 09.05. Also UK bans iPhone ad as 'misleading', iPhone password easy to bypass, GM to offer radios with USB in 2009 models, weather tracking software, and more.
- Macs Gain Ground in August, Consumers Most Likely to Buy Macs, LaCie USB Speakers, and More, Mac News Review, 09.05. Also migrating Time Machine to a new drive and two new keyboards from Logitech.
- Best iPod touch Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05. Refurb 8 GB, $199; new, $284; refurb 16 GB, $299; new, $370; refurb 32 GB, $399; new, $453.
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05. Used 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $999; 2.16, $1,125; new, 2.2, $1,450 after rebate; refurb 2.4, $1,699; 2.5, $1,999; 2.6 Santa Rosa, $1,849; rebates on new.
- Best iMac G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05. Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $279; 800 Combo, $300; 1 GHz $390; 17" 800 MHz SD, $439; 1.25 GHz, $449; 20", $569.
- Overclocking a Mac mini Got Me Hooked on Souping Up Macs, Adam Geller, My First Mac, 09.04. Stories of hot rodding iBooks, G3 iMacs, and PCI Power Macs on the cheap.
- Apple Will Not Abandon Optical Drives, the Mac Drought, Purposeful Mac Acquisition, and More, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 09.04. Also Mac OS X 10.5 on a G4-upgraded Blue & White G3 and problems using a flat panel display with a Quadra 700.
- Best Mac mini Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04. Used 1.25 GHz G4 SD, $549; 1.42 Combo, $409; new 1.83 Core2 Combo, $569 after rebate; 2.0 SD, $769 after rebate.
- Tomorrow's Solid State Drives and Notebooks, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 09.04. Flash drives are great but have some shortcomings. Some thoughts on building better SSDs and notebooks to use them.
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04. Used 867 MHz Combo, no APX, $490; 1 GHz, $550; SuperDrive, $625; 1.5 GHz w/o APX, $660; w/APX, $675.
- Best 17" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04. Used 1 GHz, $779; 1.33 GHz, $799; 1.5 GHz, $859; 1.67 GHz, $910.
- 11 Mac Browsers Compared, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 09.03. The latest versions of Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Radon, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, SeaMonkey, Flock, and Camino tested in Leopard.
- Save Internet Radio, USB and Hard Drives, Hardware Manufacturers vs. Linux, and More, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 09.03. Also Mac won't book after cleaning, newer versions of OS X improve wake from sleep, downgrading to OS 8.6, unreadable pages on Low End Mac, and more.
- Best eMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03. Used 700 MHz Combo, $120; 1.25 GHz SuperDrive, $150; 1.42 GHz, $349.
- Best Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03. Mac OS X 10.5, single user, $99; 5 users, $140; 10.5 Server, 10 users, $395; unlimited, $850.
- Best MacBook Air Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03. Refurb 1.6 HD, $1,499; new, $1,690 after rebate; refurb 1.8, $1,699; new, $1,919 a/r; refurb 1.6 SSD, $2,099; new, $2,294 a/r; refurb 1.8, $2,299; new, $2,400 a/r.
- Psystar Strikes Back, Countersues Apple, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 09.03. Psystar is trying to paint Apple as a monopoly and force it to license the Mac OS.
- More links in our archive.
About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts
Have a question?
Ask an expert!
Navigation
Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Best Used Macs
Video Cards
Email Lists
InfoMac's Low
End Mac Forum
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System
6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
Mac FAQ
Abandonware
Petition
Mac vs. PC Info
Affiliates
The Apple
Store
Mac
Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
MacResQ
ExperCom
Crucial
Memory
batteries.com
Advertise
