In that nearly everyone here who uses a laptop would probably rather be typing on an external keyboard than on the native laptop keyboard, I would guess a fair amount of people might have interest in a laptop stand of some sort. Along with the ability of putting your laptop at the same height of an external monitor, laptop stands do marvelous things for posture and reducing neck and back strain.
I use a Macbook Pro and became familiar with TwelveSouth.com’s sturdy and Apple aesthetic-matching aluminum stands. I have one of their older fixed-height models. It’s battle-ship strong but not exactly light, even though constructed from aluminum.
I’ve not used their newer HiRise model, and even though it now has a height adjusting aspect, I was looking for something much lighter and mobile but just as robust.
I bumped into a great solution on Kickstarter—the Roost Stand. I’m not a huge Kickstarter advocate—I’ve been disappointed or outright burned as many times as I’ve been satisfied. But this product is the ideal solution for laptop users who would much rather use their mechanical keyboard(s).
Reportedly the first version of the Roost was very well liked and successful, but people wanted height adjustments and the ability to close their laptops while in the stand. This is the designer/engineer’s 2.0 version the product. I think he was an aerospace engineer previously and has experience working with materials that are necessarily specified to be strong and light.
The Roost Stand delivers on those premises. It’s about the size and weight of the cardboard tube inside a roll of paper towels when collapsed (okay, I exaggerate the lightness—it’s .38 pounds or 170 grams). You grab and pull the feet horizontally to deploy the stand. The “chin” of your laptop is rests in two innovative pivoting grips that hold your machine securely even when you tilt the stand 45 degrees either way (as if that’s a feature we’re knowingly searching for…).
Lately I haven’t had to travel much, so I use it at home on my treadmill desk and at the kitchen table for my work while my kids do homework. It’s the right motivation for me to take every opportunity to plug into a mechanical keyboard (like dull chiclet keys aren’t enough). It tucks into your every-day carry like three Slimjims. The design is the most innovative tech product I’ve ever seen that doesn’t require a battery or a cord to plug in. Yet it's simple and just works (well).
I know it sounds like I’m the vp of sales so I’ll stop and just say it’s worth beyond what you’ll pay to acquire it if you want to check it out for yourself. I think it still has a “launch” price of about $60. I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to post a link or not—just google “Roost Stand” if interested.
