Laptop Legs and Mac Feet
Review

Laptop Legs and Mac Feet
Company: LapWorks, Inc.

Price: $24.95 (currently on sale: $19.95)

http://www.laptopdesk.net/access-legsf.php

I own a newer PowerBook. And as anyone who owns a newer PowerBook (or any newer laptop) knows by now, it gets very HOT! Apple use to put extendable legs on the back of their PowerBooks, but not any more. Now they put these VERY tiny little feet on the bottom, which not only fall off all the time, but also raise the computer no more than 1/8th of an inch off the desk, if that! Sorry Apple, but that does not work to keep this thing cool. The same is true for my Dell Latitude; which also has small, useless feet on the bottom. I have tried putting all sorts of “thing” under the back edge of my PowerBook to raise it up a bit, just to let some cool air underneath, but sooner or later, the PowerBook slides off the “thing” and starts to heat up again, not to mention the aggravation of the computer falling to the desk while typing. I have also seen many inexpensive products that claim to lift the computer off the desk, but I usually ignore these things because so far, all the “laptop stands” I have tried just do not work well, are too bulky, take up too much space in my laptop bag, or are heavy.

Enter Laptop Legs™ and Mac Feet from LapWorks™ to solve the problem. When I first saw this product, I said, “No way, I’m not sticking those things to the bottom of my PowerBook.” But once again, after having my PowerBook get so warm I could not longer type on it, I decided to give them a try, and I am happy I did.

So what are these things? They are small, flat pieces of plastic with double-sided sticky tape on one side, and a pair of hinged feet on the other. Mac Feet and Laptop Legs are the exact same product, the only difference being color. Laptop Legs are a dark gray, to better match the PowerBooks, while Mac Feet are white, and much better match the iBooks. Installation is as simple as peeling off the tape backing and pressing them onto the back corners of the PowerBook. To be honest, my first reaction was asking myself, “ How will I get these things off if I do not like them, and will it leave a mark?” Fear not, they do remove easily. There is a small screwdriver slot on one side of the leg, and by applying a small amount of pressure with a flat-blade screwdriver while heating slowly with a blow dryer, these things popped cleanly off. But after using them for a while, this is no longer an issue for me as I have not wanted to remove them.

These little pieces of plastic were JUST what I needed. They extend to one of two heights by flipping down one of the two hinged feet, raising the PowerBook either 1” or 1 3/8” high. When folded flat into themselves, they measure less than a half of inch, which means they took up almost no space in my bag. And as for weight, a pair of Laptop Legs weighs just a quarter of an ounce (7 grams), so you will not even know they are there.

You will know they are there when you turn on your machine and let it run for a while. With the back edge of my PowerBook raised up just 1”, I noted (using a widget that measures the internal temperature of my machine) that my PowerBook ran, on average, about 15 degrees cooler than without the feet. This was also evident in the fact that the top and keyboard did not get so hot. I also noted that with the back edge raised, I found it easier to type as well, noting that my hands and arms did not feel as fatigued as before. Lastly, with the back end up 1 3/8”, the top of the screen was also raised up that much, so I was not looking so far down at my screen, which made using the PowerBook a bit easier as well.

These little feet have a one-year warranty, and right now you get 2 pair (4 feet) supplied in each package for $5 off the regular price. They are tough little guys, each capable of supporting up to 15 pounds, and the manufacturer claims to have tested them to over 40 pounds. While I do not plan to test that number any time soon, I am for sure not worried about my 7-pound PowerBook or my 8 pound Dell on these little guys.

MyMac rating: 5 out of 5. They do EXACTLY what they claim and do it well, and all for little money. What more can you ask for?