Even though notebooks are not designed for being used on soft surfaces many of us still cannot resist using them on our beds and/or couches. This, however, can lead to overheating and if used on your lap it can lead to the earlier introduced toasted skin syndrome. Fortunately, there are products such as the Choiix Comforter Lapdesk which allow us to use our laptops on soft surfaces safely and for a reasonable price.

Before we turn to the details of the product let us get into how this product represents Choiix as a brand. Choiix has been around for over two years now and over that time their product line has increased dramatically. Choiix describes itself as offering “a diversity of digital lifestyle products, with joyful, colorful, user-friendly and touching characteristics.” While there is no doubt about diversity in Choiix’s product line the other claims require justification. Therefore, as we go through the process of reviewing the Choiix Comforter Lapdesk we will be keeping an eye on how the Comforter from packaging to testing represent the other claims made by Choiix.

Specifications

Choiix Comforter Lapdesk

Dimensions: 18” x 13.4” x 2.5” (L x W x H) — 458 x 341 x 62 mm
Weight: 1.1 — 0.5 kg
Materials: Plastic, PU Sponge with cloth, EVA
Color(s): Black
Supported Sizes: 9″~17” Notebook Computers

A Closer Look

Keeping it clean and eco, Choiix kept packaging minimal: a clear bag and a colorful cardboard ring. The cardboard ring around the Comforter doubles as a product cover and manual. It fulfills both of its tasks appropriately. In particular, looking at the ring from a manual perspective, Choiix did pretty much everything necessary providing some vector-image examples on how and where to use the product.

Two examples of such “hows and wheres” are on your lap on the couch and your bed. For this to work properly Choiix couldn’t just take a flat piece of plastic and slap a “Choiix” badge on it; first of all it would not be comfortable, secondly it is not in them to do such as thing according to their ideals. Therefore, let us have a look at how far Choiix has actually gone in creating the best possible product for you based on their self-established criteria.

The overall stance of the lapdesk is quite large. Just to give you an idea about the size: it could host an 18” laptop with minimum stress, or a 15.4/15.6” notebook while using a small mouse. With size comes the presumption of weight; however, as large as it is, the materials chosen keep the Comforter at a mere 1.1 pounds while it is sturdy enough to make it an a fairly easy product to carry around with a notebook. Though, even with its light weight, the Comforter’s mere size makes it fairly clear that it is not designed to be a stand that is supposed to be taken out of the house.

As for design of the cooler there are several key features hidden in a seemingly simple design. Let’s start off with the angle of the cooler, well actually the cause of the angle. The lapdesk like many of its competitors is tilted (most notebook stands and coolers have this feature as well). What creates this angle on the Comforter is a deep U shaped dip. The dip is a feature within itself but also allows for better utility. When the “top” or the plastic side is facing upwards the dip is present: for example, it can be used for keeping cables out of the way, you could prop your cell phone up with it, or if you are using a small notebook you could even get it to hold up a book. There is a large list of possible uses. That Choiix did not make it specifically a cable organizer or cell phone holder essentially gives the Comforter a unique and better usage value.

We also mentioned a utility aspect to the U shaped dip. As displayed on the rear of the ring (surrounding the cooler in its packaging) the lapdesk can be used “upside down” or with the soft side up. This is great if you are sitting with your knees up or any other similar position as the dip can be used as a wrist rest while holding up your notebook. At first we questioned its effectiveness as the rule of thumb is never leave a notebook on a soft surface. On the contrary, we found that Choiix put quite a bit of effort in designing a surface with firm and minimal padding which allows notebooks to breath and in turn not over heat. (This is not to say that the padding is uncomfortable on the lap when used with the plastic side up; it still does add a sense of comfort.)

To keep the notebook from slipping off the lapdesk there are two dots of rubber on the back as well as a long bar on the front. The two dots on the rear are not the most useful but we understand they have their place. The one on the front, on the other hand, has proven to be a very helpful attribute because a notebook can be placed either against it or on top of it and still stick due to its “grippyness”. Which to use is up to the user, but in our experience large or squared off notebook (at the front bottom) fared better right up against it while notebooks with a curve in the front bottom did better on top of it.

The only thing that we think Choiix has not fulfilled is its notion of color. Although it is not always the case with new products to come out in a large variety of color, something more colorful would have been a nice addition to the current lineup. But who knows, Choiix could already have this in their books and may have some new colors to add in the future.

Usage

So let’s talk usage. We have been using the Choiix Comforter for a few hours on a daily basis for the past two weeks. Over that period we were able to really test out how it works with various computers and in various circumstances. These included a 15.4” notebook which is still a pretty standard size (being replaced by 15.6”), a 10” notebook, and a 12” notebook amongst others.

The 15.4” was the biggest test for the lapdesk as it weighs over 7 pounds. Though, we did not really encounter any issues. We were even able to fit an Iphone as well as a small notebook mouse (w/ mousepad) alongside it. Even with its bulky weight the lapdesk was comfortable even over extended periods of time and it also had no trouble keeping the notebook reasonably cool considering we were not on our desks. By no means is the Comforter a notebook cooler, but it is pretty much a table so it wasn’t surprising to see that our temperature tests came back with virtually identical statistics as on the desk.

One little note on the side though. We recognized that for people who are used to already working with a laptop on their lap using the lapdesk is not really a hard adjustment but if you have been mostly working at a desk instead of your lap, expect a couple weeks of adjustment.

Continuing on now with the general usage, we found that when we flipped over the lapdesk and used the bump as a wrist rest we, surprisingly, did not have any issues with fitting our 15.4” notebook comfortably on the Comforter. We would not recommend using anything larger than 15.4” (or 15.6”) but up to that size it works perfectly fine.

Finally turning to our tests with smaller notebooks, we realized that we ended up using the Comforter like a desk rather than simply something between us and the laptop. Iphone, mouse, calculator, even a small book fit without any major issues. Overall what it did was provide us with a secondary work place away from the desk comfortably on our couch or beds.

Conclusion

Lapdesks are going up in popularity and Choiix was on the train before it even really took off. The Comforter illustrates innovation, diversity and user-friendliness which are the heart and soul of Choiix. The only promise it breaks, is its lack of color. Nonetheless, the design has a chic aspect to it while it does its job by keeping your lap cool, comfortable and keeping your notebook safe. For under $20 or even $15 at some online retailers the usefulness alone of the Choiix Comforter Lapdesk makes this lapdesk a product nearly any notebook owner should own.