Customer Reviews: Read 36 more reviews...
 It Does Exactly What I Needed November 22, 2005
P. Heath (Hurst, TX United States)
18 out of 22 found this review helpful
I have a Gateway CX2610, and it always got hot in my lap after about 10 or 15 minutes. Enter this Targus lapdesk. When folded out, it provides a nice buffer between my lap and the heat of the laptop even when using the laptop for upwards of two hours.
But wait, there's more! I had also found my laptop awkward to use at a desk because of the poor ergonomics. However, I use this lapdesk folded with the adjustable leg to reposition the keyboard to a better angle for typing. It also puts the screen at a better height as well.
The desk also works well folded in half with my laptop converted to tablet mode. So, it's a very versatile accessory to go with my versatile laptop. I highly recommend it.
 Works well, needs minor improvements, though July 4, 2006
bookreader2002 (Honolulu, HI United States)
16 out of 20 found this review helpful
Since I enjoy using my laptop sitting in bed or on the couch, this lapdesk works very well. It is wide enough to hold a Dell Inspiron 5100 and have room on the side to use as a mouse pad. Folded, it raises the laptop off my desk giving excellent air circulation beneath.
But, it's mechanism to support the top when folded could be better. As it is, a thin metal bar rests in bilateral rubber grooves. This has a tendency to slip when you try to move your laptop to the side of the desk.
Too, the rubber piece on one side has come off twice. This last time, two days ago, I used rubber cement on it and so far it's held.
Overall, it is handy and works well without using any power.
Please note that 2 of the negative reviews below are for a DIFFERENT product, and not this one!
Best bang for the buck in laptop stands, period. December 23, 2004
Paul Stuart
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
Amazon seems to lumping numerous laptop stand reviews together. This, however, is for the Targus PA243U Notebook Portable Lapdesk.
If you're reading this review, you're likely in the hunt for a new, or more likely, replacment laptop stand for the one simply not up to snuff. Look no further: this is the mecca of laptop stands, and at a great price.
I've tried to Podium Pad (can't really use on a lap), LapBottom (works, but poor craftsmanship), iLap (stylish but useless), and stumbled onto the LapDesk as a last ditch effort for a workable stand for my 17'' Powerbook G4. I struck gold.
It has great grips to both hold the unit in place and likewise the stand on the desk (my computer actually slid off of the iLap to disastrous results). Great versatility in being able to easily collapse it into a lapstand and back again. The typing angle for desktop use goes a long way. Seems very durable as well, easily able to take the knocking around of transporting it. Finally, the price can't be beat. It's less than 1/2 of the iLap's cost.
Targus has a knack for private labeling great products under their name. This is another great find.
 The LapDesk is a product in search of a purpose. February 19, 2004
9 out of 15 found this review helpful
I happen to use an Apple Powerbook 15", which is a gorgeous machine, truly the BMW of computers, and may I say, designed with sensibilities reminiscent of the Porsche Design Group.
Naturally, the Targus LapDesk is no match design-wise, but doesn't even seem designed with the notebook user/traveler in min.1) Clunky design. Cleverly combining two identical fitting parts may be a boon in production but bypasses the functionality it should afford. In fact,I found my Powerbook peculiarly balancing on top of the hinge and even sliding off the tray while using it in bed. Remember, form follows function, not the other way around. It's design rule #1. 2) Lack of heat dissipation. When I noticed that the Powerbook's fan kept coming on I discovered that the Mac runs actually cooler without the LapDesk. No surprise, as there's no ventilation whatsoever once the notebook is placed on the LapDesk. The tiny air channel is actually a closed loop in tilted position. A few holes would have made a difference, but the gutters used should at least have had front and end openings in tilted position. In tray position the surface runs too hot to be comfortable on one's lap. 3) The "desk" aspect. The greatest mistake is perhaps cladding the left and right surface areas with the same anti-slip rubber used to hold the notebook in place. Better would've been to extend a smooth surface all the way to the edge to allow for today's wireless mouse, such as the Kensington which currently not only can't move on the rubber, but also loses its optical tracking. However, a traditional mouse didn't fare much better as the area is just too small and doesn't increase by moving the notebook further to the other side. In its fold-out position the LapDesk suffers from its greatest design flaw: it's not a desk by any means. Perhaps a cupholder would've made it more so, but now all we have is useless space at the left and right and rightfully so I have yet to come across a product picture that gives purpose to those areas. Not surprising as they hold scarcely more than a few pencils (which we don't need as we have a $2,000 notebook). 4) The convenience factor. Carrying the LapDesk on your lap, either in a chair or on the bed is a most uncomfortable experience. The hard plastic with its rims, knobbies, and edges make it rather painful to endure in bed and the "hinges" for the upright flipstand that extend beyond the tray further add discomfort. Either way, using the LapDesk on your lap leaves your thighs feeling sweaty, raw, and bruised. 5) Price. $30 is too much for a piece of plastic. Of course, owners of expensive laptops are willing to pay more for a solution, but this is not the solution I was looking for and I bet others must feel cheated the same way. Now, it's true that as an Apple user I may be spoiled with great design and functionality. Indeed, I have often shaken my head at the sight of the products PC manufacturers put out, as they often resembled a hodgepodge of ideas with design thrown in as an afterthought. Yet, some of them too drive BMW's and Porsches, but perhaps only for the status these marvels represent rather than for their superior design. While it may seem unfair to compare a German automobile to the LapDesk, in the end it's still well-thought-out design that wins. Imagine what Jonathon Ives, Apple's award-winning designer could've come up with. Remember, less is more. Engineers are not designers. This product looks engineered, not designed. Worse, it looks like it was picked up at a Hong Kong trade show. In my opinion Targus has pandered to a market of consumers with a need for a product without giving it to them.
Targus PA243U Notebook Portable Lapdesk August 6, 2005
Sheri Perillo (United States)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
I bought this product primarily to elevate my laptop for cooling. For that purpose it works however for the price I expected something of a much sturdier construction. This product wobbles when I am typing. I bought this particular product because I thought it would be handy to have a portable lap desk. When used as a lap desk it needs to be supported in the center. If you try to pick up it from the sides with your laptop on it, it starts to bow in the center. I think it would not take much for it to break. I've been using this product for a couple of weeks and I am starting to feel more ripped off the more I use it.
Also I noticed that for some reason not all the reviews listed under this particular product actually are about this product. One review spoke of an on/off switch; there isn't anything like that one this. So read the reviews carefully.
Normally I am usually very pleased with everything I have purchased from Amazon and more then once my purchase has exceeded my expectations. But this particular product falls very short of what I had expected to receive.
This particular product is too flimsy for the price. I'm seriously thinking of looking into returning it even though I think I've actually had it for a least a month.
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