Nov 23, 2009 02:00 PM
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AViiQ is a new company that makes just one product: a portable, aluminum laptop stand that supports systems up to 17 inches while folding up like an accordion.
$80 on pre-order now.
I like it both more and less than I expected to.
On one hand, AViiQ's portable laptop stand matches my MacBook while angling my keyboard at a truly perfect 12 degrees. And it folds, with relative ease, down to an absurdly thin, near-weightless strip of aluminum that can squeeze into any bag, I'm certain.
On the other, the stand feels cheaper than I'd expect for its $80 price. Sure, we're talking about aluminum, but more like flimsy, pop can aluminum than unibody Mac aluminum. And it folds through a plastic connective tissue that loosens over time but never feels 100% in terms of general structural integrity.
Super light
Crazy-thin
Excellent ergonomics
I can't help but worry about long-term durability
$80
UPDATE: This, from AViiQ:
"The product IS very light so it may seem less substantial, but in this case, it's a purposeful part of the design to make the product ultralight for easy travel. Alcan, the developer of Hylite, says that the hinges can be folded more than 5000 times without any wear. As for the price tag, like titanium or carbon fiber, lightweight often equals more expensive and Hylite certainly adheres to that truth. We tried making it out of a material that was lightweight and inexpensive, but feathers just don't have the structural strength we required (not to mention the sneezing it caused in the studio)."
Send an email to Mark Wilson, the author of this post, at mark@gizmodo.com.
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