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Laptop Stands for Couch Potatos? 50

Posted by Cliff from the for-the-more-stationary-among-us dept.
ylsul asks: "Like many of you, I find myself working from home a lot, and I usually end up slouched on my couch with my laptop. Have any of you out there found the 'perfect' way to hack and slack at the same time? (maybe something like this?)"
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Laptop Stands for Couch Potatos? More

Laptop Stands for Couch Potatos?

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  • www.levenger.com has a lap-desk-board that I've used for years with a laptop...
  • Nope. like this [oceanshores.org]
  • I work out of my house using my laptop in my living room. I've got the perma-creased couch cushion to prove it.

    I just got a new laptop table for xmas that is on wheels and has a drawer -- great for keeping a gun stashed for when a bible thumper shows up at the door. Otherwise, the table's only real value is that it looks better then a tv-dinner type table.

    But, the most important things are:

    15" sxga display on the laptop

    Logitech Cordless Freedom Pro Optical wireless mouse and keyboard

    USB hub if you use a lot of usb gadgets

    The display is a no-brainer. The bigger the better. Same with the usb. The wireless keyboard and mouse will save your back. You will be laid-back instead of slumped-over -- always a better way to be. And, with the optical mouse, you won't need a mousepad, the couch will do just fine.

    • Forgot to mention this little detail:

      Here's the table I got for xmas. Its sturdy and rolls easily.

      http://www.brookstone.com/shop/product.asp?produ ct _code=330928&world_code=2&category_code=23&subcate gory_code=418&search_type=subcategory

    • I beg to differ, I think resolution is most important. My current laptop is a measly 12.1" but since it's 1024 x 786 it really doesn't bother me at all. Of course, if your eyesight is weak that might be a different story, but I've got 20/10 (better than 20/20) so it's not a concern for me.

      Of course, my notebook (or should I say subnotebook) weighs in at a measly 4lbs, so even the arm of my sofa is ample workspace for writing code. All this to say that bigger isn't always better.

  • Exercise machine mount (Score:3, Interesting)

    by crow ( 16139 ) on Sunday January 19, 2003 @06:59PM (#5115215) Homepage Journal
    I was thinking that if I had a treadmill (or some other exxercise machine), I would want to set it up so that I could mount a laptop such that I could use it while exercising.
    • or some other exxercise machine

      Welcome to slashdot, where eksersize is such a foreign concept that nobody can spel it.

    • hell, you could probably put one of those bike headlights that use the friction of the front wheel to power it, the ones you got for $10 at the hardware store when you were a kid, to trickle charge your battery.... or somthing. come to think of it, you'd be inside (w/wall plugs), but might work well for power outages and whatnot. those lightbulbs probably use between 10-20 watts, so that would probably halve the power consumption, theroretically...
      • Powered by friction from the front wheel? Please explain.
        • maybe friction was a bad use of the term....if this helps, part uses it on his bike at about 4 am when he has to go to the school to help principal skinner with his astronomy, where he discovers the comet that is headed straight for springfield.

          anyways, so you have your bike, front wheel held in there by the fork. it spins in a clockwise motion (as viewed from the right side of the bike) as you go forward down a hill. attached to the fork, a small rubber wheel sits perched about half an inch above the actual bike wheel, and has a lever that can push and hold this small wheel against the bike wheel. the friction between the small wheel and bike wheel causes the small wheel to rotate, which turns a small electric generator also attached to the fork. the whole aparatus weighs about and is about the size of three decks of cards/iPods.

    • Re:Exercise machine mount (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      I set one up. Here's what you need

      - Excercise bike with removable handlebars (or else they get in the way of the desk)

      - Desk high enough to fit over the bike, but low enough so you can read documents lying flat on the surface (I built one ~ 5 feet high).

      - As comfortable a bike seat as you can find

      - A mouse (my pointstick is hard to control when I'm riding fast).

      - Large fonts (bobbing head makes it harder to focus)

      The main drawbacks are that the seat is uncomfortable, even after adding significant padding, and it's harder to concentrate then you might think: I usually read the news, e-mail, etc. when riding.

    • I've been talking about something like this for *years* -- but I want it at work. I'm really sick and tired of needing to stretch constantly just to keep my back muscles from going into total shock..

      Really, I'd just need a place for the keyboard...it's too bad a treadmill wouldn't fit in my cube...

  • Here's the hint: laptop.

    Seriously, that's where I put my laptop (when it's not in the shop, grumble). The only problem is that the chip gets really hot against my leg.
    • That sjust the problem, most laptops inlet fan for the processor is one the BOTTOM of the case. You can't wear sweats or anything else, let alone sit it on the bed to do any work. It had to be a hard surface.....sux @$$
    • The only problem is that the chip gets really hot against my leg.

      After the story about the guys penis that got burns from a laptop, and then the story about the girl getting injured when a laptop battery exploded, you still consider placing a laptop in your lap??? Even if we call them "Notebooks" instead of "Laptops", I still wouldn't place one on my lap.

      Anyone that places a laptop computer in their lap either a) is a numb-nuts, or b) has numb-nuts. Take your pick.

    • Here's the hint: laptop.

      You're making a blind assumption that the person in question actually has a lap. If this lazy dorkus maximus requires a tray table system to use a laptop, plus openly admits to being a couch potato, I'd say that the apron of flab severly hampers the use of such items as laptops.

  • This device [circuitcity.com] + a recliner [lazyboy.com] = (drool...) laziness. Then all you need is this [stadiumpal.com] and this [dominos.com], and you won't have to move for days.

  • I'm thinking of one of those bedside tables that you can find in places like hospitals. They are [ shaped, so that they can slide over the bed. Allows you to spread out on the couch and still have the laptop on a firm surface. A quick google search turned up this picture [goantiques.com] which is what I mean (although antique isn't the way to go, I'm sure). Plus, find one that is adjustable, and has a drawer underneath.

  • Best home slacker set up I have ever seen. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Neck_of_the_Woods ( 305788 ) on Sunday January 19, 2003 @07:13PM (#5115279) Journal
    Guy had his computer hooked up to his projector that was sitting on top of his coffee table. When he wanted to do some home coding he just pulled out his wireless keyboard/mouse and flipped on his projector. It displayed on the wall which was just to the right of his tv in the corner. When he was done he just put the mouse and keyboard under the coffee table on a shelf built into the table and flipped off the projector. He had a floor power outlet and wireless which was pretty slick and helped.

    As far as what where he put the mouse and keyboard, he had keyboard right on his lap and would just toss down one of his computer books for the mouse. The computer was just a little shuttle space walker that would sit under the table as well. It worked out rather nicely. I have sence then figured the next time I moved I would try settin someting like this up as well.

    -1 offtopic I guess but still a sweet setup.

  • fun with couch potatoes (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I like to take a milky way candy bar (not snickers .. nuts are too nutricious) and tie it to a string and hold it just out of reach of a couch-hacker dude.

    It's funny to see him try and get it.

    Be careful though, not to exert him too much or he'll have a heart attack.

  • The Ultimate Lazyboy! (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Neck_of_the_Woods ( 305788 ) on Sunday January 19, 2003 @07:19PM (#5115304) Journal

    Don't any of you guys remember the Wired up MSN joint venture with Lazyboy?

    Gaming lazyboy [geek.com]

    enjoy.

  • I just put a thin (paper) notebook between my lap and laptop so I don't end up with burnt skin. Keeps my lap nice and warm durring the long cold nights too. /me looks around for a girlfriend
  • I'm a couch potato, lying on the couch right now with my laptop on my belly. Sure, it's a little difficult to type, but it's easy enough to mouse around the web.

  • Yes, you need one (Score:3, Funny)

    by TheSHAD0W ( 258774 ) on Sunday January 19, 2003 @07:29PM (#5115350) Homepage
    Using a notebook PC without something to rest it on is a bad idea [theregister.co.uk].
  • I use two of those small tables (usually made of oak) you can get at almost any furniture store. The ones which are in a U shape, where part of it tucks under the sofa, the long part of it rises in the air and then the other side of the U forms a small table with right about the perfect height.

    I use the first to hold my laptop, the second to hold anything else (drinks, papers, etc). I place them on opposite sides of my legs, both within easy reach.

    It works perfectly, long as you don't need a full "desk" to hold your laptop, and you can leave the tables out for other uses, too.
  • ...maybe even generate some electricity
    with the mechanical energy you create -
    eg, charging your UPS batteries or may-
    be the laptop's...!

    I'm surprised that this idea isn't al-
    ready a product (or family of them...
    eg, with camping models, models for
    Amateur, Emergency Service or CB radios
    as well as computers.

    You know the kind I mean:

    Slow, meditative peddling
    (while thinking or keying)

    Fast, intensive peddling
    (while making progress -
    burning off excess stress)

    Perhaps it's time to start a project, eg:

    - OpenOfficeFurniture,
    - OpenOF,
    - OpenBikeDesk,
    - OpenExerDesk,
    - OpenExDesk,
    - OpenExDe or
    - OpenED ...or the like. ;-\
  • Right now, sitting on couch, feet on coffee table, Thinkpad on lap (wireless, but AC powered). Tivo remote to left (go Tennessee), wife talking on phone to right. Glass of KoolAid on end table. Sometimes I opt for a lap desk, one of those hard flat surfaces attached to a pillow. Primary reason? To avoid toasting my crotch. Seriously, I mean how can they call this thing a laptop if actually keeping it on your lap from crisping your bits? Yeouch. Duane
  • I use a PodiumPad [roadtools.com] with my PowerBook. I find that elevating the screen really helps, however I'm usually working at a desk.
  • What about mounting one of these [staples.ca] babies on the side of the couch? Take a little hack to do it, but would provide the ultimate platform for the machine...
  • I use one of these:

    http://www.baltinc.com/keyrite.phtml

    It's not perfect - it doesn't go low enough to let you slouch on a low couch, otherwise it is exactly what I wanted.

    Better hurry, the dark mahagony one is discontinued!

    A.
  • In college I went to a school that used laptops, and generally used my laptop from a couch, (not a reccommeded practice, as I started in engineering and finished in business but that is another story) and what I used for a portable desk was a 1 sq ft plank (about 900 sq cm for you metric folks) that I got from a dumpster behind one of the big office stores. It was originally used to show the two finishes that a desk came in, so you might see if any office supply or furniture stores have similar sample products that have been discontinued, for a cheap solution.
  • Obviously, you will be on the couch for a long time, otherwise you wouldn't be investing in a good laptop surface. Sitting uses more energy than lying down or slouching back in the couch. So, choose a laptop stand that will force you to sit up to use it. The ones that have small wheels and stand on the floor look best.


  • The EasyChair WorkStation [ee.net]



    I don't have one of these but they do look like a good idea and might be of interest. Could be used for an excerise machine.

    From their website:

    "Your monitor screen seems to float in front of your eyes as you relax in the most comfortable chair possible, your own EasyChair or recliner.

    The Starbase series for LCD Flatscreen and Laptop Workstations:

    This versitile series starts off with a star base similar to those on your office chair which has been counterweighted for stability.

    Our 'Boom Arm' version adds an angle and length adjustable stainless steel boom arm which is mounted to the star base.

    The boom arm then supports a variety of mounting system components can be selected to fit your needs.

    These include mounts for 'VESA' LCD flat screen monitors, our sturdy self-clamping Laptop mounting platform, and even a cupholder for your drinks.

    These mounts all feature sturdy 'ball and socket' locking joints which allow for nearly unlimited adjustment for angle.

    The Boom arm workstation is great for comfort use at nearly any recliner, easychair or sofa. It is also well suited for use in special needs situations, such as use with a wheelchair, or hospital type bed...."

  • How about a Fat Guy Pillow [earthstores.com]?

  • I think laptop stands are good for one great reason:
    This [yahoo.com]

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