Introduction:

   Today I have for you the final installment (so far) of my laptop desk review assortment. This unit is called the X-Pad. It's a basic laptop desk, more like a cutting board with some features built-in for non-slip grip and cooling channels. There isn't much else to say about this one, so let's move along.

Features:

 Laptop Cooler
- Xpad improves your Laptop cooling to
prevent overheating & inopportune shutdowns
- Prevents Laptop damage in bed and other non-breathing surfaces
Laptop Heat Shield
- 3 layers of Xpad thermal insulation protects
your lap or your desk from Laptop heat
Comfortable, Non-slip, Laptop Pad
- Xpad stabilizes your Laptop on your lap for a 'solid' feel
- Protects Laptop rubber feet from peeling off
- Padded bottom for user comfort
- Strong lightweight composite structure
- Portable, slim-profile

A Closer Look:

   As you can see, there is only one solid piece to this X-Pad. No fancy folding features. No mouse attachments or thinsulate ribbed padding for your legs. It's a rectangle (almost a square it's so small).

   The X-Pad was shipped in a plain white box with a simple "X" on it for identification. Inside the white box what looks to be the retail packaging: a very thin plastic bag and a cardboard "label". Notice there is also a couple of free silica gel snacks that go great with a little salt. (just kidding...DO NOT EAT!)

   The X-Pad measures 13" wide by 10.5" tall. It's small enough to be placed in most laptop carry bags along with your laptop.

   I thought the top of the unit was the black foam with the X-Pad logo for the first few minutes until it dawned on me that "that wouldn't cool very well". And then it hit me, what I thought was the top was actually the bottom. Hmmm. 

   The top of the X-Pad is an "X" look design with 4 corners of a tacky non-slip surface. It will hold your laptop very securely, but I wish it was a little wider. The bottom of the X-Pad is much more simple with just a flat surface of what feels like a harder foam. However there's a major flaw to this bottom: the edges.

   For one thing the X-Pad is rather small in size, especially width. Secondly the bottom of it (the part that would go on your legs) is a very flat, semi-hard surface with very hard plastic edging that sticks up just a hair above the foam. So what's the point then right? Exactly. If you're going to waste the money to engineer a foam padding, it should at least stick out beyond the hard thin plastic edging that's sure to dig into your leg. To me, this is a major flaw in it's design. So basically, a hard wooden cutting board would be more comfortable on your legs than this X-Pad.

Logo

Conclusion:

   With a selling price of $29.95, I certainly don't see the value here. The X-Pad is a very one-dimensional product that only does half of it's things good, that being the cooling of the laptop and holding the laptop securely to itself. The other half of the things, including it's overall size, and it's poorly designed "bottom" fall short of some of the better options out there in the market, especially for it's price tag. I'm particularly boggled as to why the hard edged bottom of the X-Pad would be uncovered allowing it to dig into your leg.

   Now you know I've seen, and reviewed a few laptop desks lately, and sadly this one to me is the bottom of the pile. It's high price (for what it is) and design flaws just don't make it a viable purchase in my eyes. Both the Lapinator and the Lapworks items I reviewed recently are both in the same price range and both offer a better combination of features for the end user.

UPDATE: 3-22-2006

    There is an ongoing conversation between X-Pad and VH on the fairness of this review. You can read the rest over in the Forum Thread right here!