LapLogic G800 and W800 Aerogel Extreme LapDesks

(4.5 star rating) Written by: Justin Whitaker

LapLogic G800 and W800 Aerogel Extreme Review

LapLogic is a company that does one thing and one thing only – build high-performance lappads and lapdesks for home, work and travel. The singular focus may mean that the company remains relatively small and low-profile, but it has the added benefit that the company has experts that design and build top-of-the-line lapdesks.

The latest offerings from LapLogic are the G800 and W800 Wide Aerogel Extreme LapDesks. They incorporate some cutting edge technology and materials available in order to protect you from the heat generated by your laptop. Let’s take a look at these unique products to see what all they have to offer.

Design

Before getting into the actual design of the G800 and W800 Aerogel Extremes, it is important to understand the distinction between a laptop cooler and a lapdesk. A laptop cooler is an active device (usually powered by the laptop computer itself) that has fans or other moving parts that are used to generate airflow in order to cool the laptop. Note that a laptop cooler has the user comfort as a secondary design concern, if any at all. A lapdesk, on the other hand, is a passive device that contains no moving parts and is primarily designed to protect the user from the heat generated by the laptop computer. Note that a lapdesk has cooling of the laptop as a secondary design concern, or possibly not even at all. In the case of the G800 Aerogel Extreme, it just so happens that the lapdesk is only designed to cool the laptop at least as well as it would be if it were sitting on a flat-surface desk.

The G800 and W800 Aerogel Extreme products are made from a number of unusual materials, most notably the aptly named Aerogel material. The Aerogol material as well as another material, a flexible silicon fabric, were both used as part of space programs. Aerogel was used, in fact, by the Mars Rover program here in the United States. Additionally, the top and bottom of the G800 Aerogel Extreme use a non-slip surface to keep the laptop stable and to keep the lapdesk secure while it is sitting on your lap.

The top of the lapdesk has three “integral standoffs” that are 9” long. The standoffs are essentially elevated strips of material that allow air to flow around the laptop whiel in use. The distance between the bottom of the laptop and the actual surface of the lapdesk is an approximately 1/2" air gap.

Finally, the back of the lapdesk has a transparent plastic pocket that can be used to hold CDs, DVDs or business cards. The lapdesk itself is rigid and cannot be bended, so there is no concern about damaging your CDs or DVDs during transport of the lapdesk.

Features and Specifications

• Aerogel Insulation for ultimate heat protection! Featuring Aspen Aerogel
• C²R Thermal Technology™ which blocks all forms of heat transfer - convection, conduction and radiation
• New Integrated laptop thermal channels keep your CPU running cooler
• No-Slip surface both sides allows you to use your laptop in almost any postion and any angle
• New Transparent pocket holds CDs, DVDs, business cards
• Rigid structure supports your laptop comfortably
• Metallic accents on front and back
• Each have 1 year materials and workmanship warranty
• Available Colors: Blue/Metallic Blue orGrey/Metallic Gold

• G800 Dimensions: 11"h x 16"w x 1"d
• G800 Weight: 16 oz.
• W800 Dimensions: 11"h x 20"w x 1"d
• W800 Weight: 26 oz.

		Image courtesy of LapLogic

Using the G800 and W800 Aerogel Extremes

All of the testing of the G800 and W800 Aerogel Extremes was done using my Toshiba Satellite computer with 17” screen. It is a couple of years old, and is definitely bigger than most of the newer laptop computers that are sold in today’s market. It does suffer occasionally from overheating, especially during the warmer spring and summer months, and so it provided a good very good test of how well the lapdesk protects the user from heat.

Now that it is summer and temperatures are rising both outside and inside, my hefty Toshiba Satellite requires more airflow to keep it cool. The internal laptop fan is running at least 50% of the time during these warmer months, even under light usage of web surfing. When I multi-task and play music, run a virus scanner, play games, etc. the fan is normally running 60-70% of the time. Thus, it should be obvious that the laptop is generating quite a lot of heat – especially when multi-tasking.

The immediate and palpable test results showed that the G800 and W800 Aerogel lapdesks do a superb job of their primary function - keeping heat from reaching your lap. Throughout the testing, I can honestly say that the temperature I felt on my legs never reached a point where I could even tell that a hot laptop was sitting on the lapdesk. If I had kept my eyes closed during the many hours of testing, I wouldn’t have been able to tell if it was a hot 10 lb. laptop that was sitting on my lap with the lapdesk, or if it was a 10 lb. brick! In this respect, the G800 and W800 Aerogel units absolutely deliver.

From an ergonomics standpoint, both of the units also do an outstanding job of allowing you to adjust the lapdesk and your laptop to the most comfortable position. The G800 and W800 keep the laptop firmly in place and do not allow any sliding or slippage, regardless of whether you have the laptop sitting at an angled position or completely flat. I never felt my laptop moving during the testing, and I never had to reposition the laptop to keep it from sliding off of the lapdesk. I could find no fault with the comfort aspects of the G800 and W800 Aerogel Extreme lapdesks.

The biggest drawback of the G800 and W800 units is that they did not seem to provide much, if any, actual cooling to the laptop. This is not surprising considering the lack of fans or other moving parts to actively cool the laptop. I did not notice any difference in speed or frequency of the internal laptop fan when using the G800 or W800 units, which would mean that they were basically providing the same level of thermal cooling as my desk.

Portability and Other Considerations

Considering the size of the G800, it is a perfect size to fit into a briefcase or a laptop bag. I was easily able to fit it into my laptop bag for transporting to and from work or for traveling. However, the W800 is simply too big to fit easily into a briefcase or laptop bag. If you are going to take it with you while traveling, you would have to store it in a suitcase. This would prevent you from using it while flying, for example, because most carry-on suitcases would not be big enough to fit the W800 inside. Unless you really need the extra space provided by the W800 for a mousepad, I would recommend the G800 simply due to its handy size for transporting.

One major plus point of the G800 and W800 Aerogel Extremes is the fact that they don’t require any power. This leaves the battery power of your laptop to be dedicated completely to running the laptop, and you can expect the exact same length of time from your battery regardless of whether or not you are using the G800 and W800 lapdesks. Most laptop coolers and lapdesk require power to run fans, and this drains the laptop battery. With no moving parts, this is not the case with the LapLogic lapdesks.

LapLogic G800 and W800 Aerogel Extreme LapDesks

The LapLogic G800 and W800 Aerogel Extreme LapDesks are very unique - and very useful – products that I have no hesitation to recommend to laptop users. Whether you use a laptop for personal use or for work, on the road or at home - a lapdesk from LapLogic is going to make the experience a whole lot more comfortable. In terms of heat reduction and comfort, the LapLogic G800 Aergo Extreme and W800 Aerogel Extreme set the industry standard.

If you are having trouble with your laptop overheating, however, the lapdesks from LapLogic are not going to solve your problems. You will need to find a laptop cooler to reduce your laptop temperatures and avoid overheating issues.

With a price for the G800 at $69.95 USD, and a price of $79.95 USD for the W800, the Aerogel Extreme LapDesks do not come cheap. There are certainly less expensive offerings from other manufacturers. But, if you really want to enjoy using your laptop and keep your lap as cool as possible, the LapLogic Aerogel Extreme lapdesks are the best solutions on the market.

Pros: Nearly eliminates heat reaching your lap, no moving parts, extremely easy and comfortable to use, easy to transport the G800.

Cons: Pricey, W800 is not easily transported.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

www.laplogic.com