I Love/Hate This Laptop Workstation By Alice on - Updated Oct 15, 2011
About 3 months ago I splurged and bought myself a new laptop. I was tired of sitting in our bedroom/office and using the desktop computer when I do that all day at work. I wanted to be able to sit in my recliner, watch TV in the family room and talk to my hubby instead of yelling questions from the other end of the house.
I needed something to put my laptop on since I use a mouse instead of the touch pad. I read some of the reviews here and decided to purchase the My Place Laptop and Multi-Function Work Station.
I've had a love/hate relationship with this work station since I purchased it.
**I love it because it has a large tilting table where I can rest my laptop at a comfortable angle. I hate it because the table has grooves in it for air circulation but the slightest move will send my laptop rolling right past the lip that is supposed to hold it in place and into my lap. The only way I can keep it from flying off is to use a piece of thin foam on the table lip.
**I love it because it has a large felt covered surface to hold my mouse, some paper and a pen, even a bowl of chips if I'm hungry. There is also a storage compartment underneath this section where I keep my notes and mouse when not in use.
**I love it because I can easily fold down the legs and place them in 3 different positions/heights. I hate it because these legs are a very tight squeeze in my recliner and I don't want to wear down the leather pushing it in and out when I need to get up. I also tried sitting on our couch but the legs slip right in between the cushions. This makes the work station rest on top of my legs which is very uncomfortable due to the hard groves and structure underneath that the legs tuck into.
**I love it mainly because I am in the family room but I hate it because the only way I can use this is to leave the legs unfolded, put a blanket over my lap and lay the work station flat on the blanket. I am still able to tilt the table for my laptop but after a few hours of having this all sit on your legs is enough for me.
There is an LED work light which takes 3 AAA batteries (not included). I find the light basically useless as it really does not give enough light and the bendable arm does not stay in position for very long as it will start to droop.
The work station is made of black polypropylene and can hold a maximum of 25 lbs. Supposedly the work station itself weighs approximately 6 lbs. but when you're hauling it up onto your lap from the floor with one arm it feels like a lot more!! The overall dimensions are 60cm x 31cm x 25cm.
Would I buy one of these again or recommend it? No, I would not buy one again but I would recommend it as it might work quite differently for someone else. It is very sturdy and would be great for someone that is bedridden and would be able to use the legs as they were intended!!
I finally had my DH unscrew the legs off this table which makes the table much lighter to pick up. It also makes the underside much more comfortable to have sitting on my lap since I never used the legs anyway.
About The Author:
My Place Laptop Workstation Purchased at: Linens & Things Price: $29.99 w/coupon
Well done!! You could do one of two things for the sliding - as the laptop is new I don't know that this would be acceptable yet - I'd wait til the machine is older but here it is anyway - purchase two little circular velcro tabs that come with the opposing "teeth" fasteners, apply the velcro pad to the underside of the laptop, the "teeth" pads to the top of the table - I'd put them at the upper edge of the table area and at each corner of the laptop on the same edge as its hinged. No more slide. Or use those little rubberlike foam pads that you can purchase for placing under rugs to stop sliding - cut a small strip so as not to affect air circulation, run these one on either side of the laptop underneath so that the feet of the laptop have something to hold on to. Should stop the slide effect. I had a table that did this too and I used both solutions effectively. Thanks for the info - great detail!
I had seen one of these and wondered if it would work well. I need to get something, but I don't think this will be it.
Hello, I got my MyPlace Laptop Workstation as a Christmas gift from my wife whom originally purchased it from Best Buy. I had spotted it at best Buy when I was looking for a laptop table that I could use while sitting on the couch. I mentioned it to my wife, who in turn surprised me with it on Christmas last year (2008). I absolutely loved the item. But there was one flaw on the one that I got at Best Buy, and I returned it for a replacement, only to have the same little part break off of the replacement. After about 4 of them with the same flaw, I decided to look online and locate the company or vendor who were behind this otherwise wonderful item. After locating them, i found that also, if you order one from the manufacturer, they include 4 USB ports built into the left side of it. That was what I wanted, so I decided to order that version instead. I ended up ordering 2 of them. One is still in its box, never been opened. Anyway, since ordering from the manufacturer, I have not had one problem with the MyPlace workstation. Even the part that was flawed and was breaking, has never broken off yet. I use my MyPlace every single day. I did have a period of time where I didn't use it due to a personal health issue, but the minute I was able to use it again, I picked it right back up and began where I had left off. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being lowest and 10 being highest, I rate this item a 11 plus. The item is more than what I was looking for, and it is serving its purpose well. The usb prots work absolutely well also, and the workstation is so designed that when using the usb ports, the wires are out of the way, making using a wired external mouse, camera, etc... a breeze to use. One thing though, which is no big deal at all, is that one of my laptops is a Dell 1520, and due to the design of it, the catch latch on the MyPlace doesn't sit up high enough to keep the Dell seated. Like I said, it is just the way my Dell is built. But I have designed an extension to connect to the MyPlace catch part that will extend and catch the Dell, keeping it placed, and preventing it to slip off. It works like a charm, and I am even in the process of creating an extension that can fold. I am also creating one that can easily be disconnected and tucked away from when you need it for that type of laptop design. Other than this one thing in which I have dsigned a fix for it, i am quite happy with my MyPlace Workstation, and I highly recommend it to anyone. if you are looking for a laptop desk setu, this is just what you are needing and wanting. Thanks for reading.