Turn Your Laptop Into a Desktop

PowerBooks and iBooks are more than powerful enough to serve as desktop computer replacements. When I sold my PowerMac G4 a little over two years back in favor of a PowerBook, I knew it would probably be the last time I'd own a desktop computer.

While engineering advances like USB and Firewire connectivity, 802.11x and Bluetooth wireless networking, and bigger, brighter LCD and TFT displays have made it technologically feasible to make your one and only Mac a portable, the all-purpose PowerBook poses a new set of ergonomic concerns to its devotees. Working on a laptop computer all day can easily cause neck, shoulder, and lower back problems due to the simple fact that while a desktop machine's keyboard and display can be positioned independently of one another, prying your iBook's keyboard loose from its chasis is really not such a good idea.

As such, a number of companies have gotten into the business of producing peripherals designed to make your desktop-laptop experience as ergonomically sound as possible. Macally makes everything from headphones to hard drive enclosures, and they sent us two items that might help you feel a little more comfortable when using your PowerBook/iBook at home.

IceStation Laptop Stand -- $19.99

The IceStation is an adjustable laptop stand made primarily from white plastic with two black metal adjustment rods. Virtually all plastic is perforated to allow for ventilation, and a clever system of grooves, hingest, and tabs allows the IceStation to be set up to any of six different heights to better accomodate users of varying sizes. The hinged system also allows the IceStation to fold up to a compact, near flat size for travel and storage. But wait, there's more: The IceStation also features a swing-out document holder and a fold-away rod at the front of its base tht not only keeps your Mac from sliding off, but also allows the stand to prop up good old fashioned books and keep the pages open at that. Great for those of you who own cookbooks as well as software programs.

Unlike stands like Griffin's iCurve which more or less raise your laptop up from the desk in a normal open position, the IceStation holds your computer at a fairly actue angle, as pictured above. This means that, to some extent, the bigger (taller) your laptop is, the higher you'll be able to raise the screen. Of course, you'll also have a hard time typing with your laptop's keyboard at such a funny angle (use of an external keyboard is virtually a necessity).

This also unfortunately means that access to front-mounted slot drives is blocked while your computer is in the station's grips. I, for instance, have to remove my 1st generation TiBook from the stand to get to the DVD-ROM drive because the drive is front-mounted on my computer. Owners of newer PowerBooks and iBooks with side-mounted drives won't have to worry about this.

IceStation is made of plastic, but it's fairly sturdy. My only complaints after a few months of using it are the aforementioned front slot drive issue and the fact that it slides around on my desk a little bit. Other than that, it's a handy stand, especially for under twenty dollars. Raising my computer's screen to a more natural eye level really does help with my posture while working. If I owned an iBook, I could also comment on how nicely the white IceStation matches my white Mac. But, alas, I don't.

rfKey Wireless Multimedia Keyboard -- $69.99

The rfKey wireless keyboard does, however, match the IceStation. Made from sturdy white plastic with white and grey keys, rfKey is a wireless keyboard that communicates with your Mac through an included RF receiver that connects via USB. rfKey works with OS 9.2 and 10.1 and higher, and comes with a software CD that installs an application that lets you manage the keyboard's many programmable extra keys (the "extended keyboard" is 108 keys large, plus another 19 "multimedia" keys). The keyboard also features a full numeric keypad and scroll wheel.

The keyboard itself is fairly large, due to the many extra keys described below. An ample palm rest below the space bar helps support your hands, and despite its size, the unit (which somehow resembles a space-age lily pad) is lightweight and comfortable to move around and rest in your lap while working. The keys seem a bit more cramped together than most full-sized keyboards I'm used to working with, but after a short adjustment period I stopped striking Quotation Mark instead of Return, and so on. Still, with all of the real estate that the rfKey takes up, I do wish the layout was a bit more comfy. Keystroke action is fairly nice and definitive.

rfKey's wireless functionality is great -- the signal works very well, and the receiver need not be set up directly in front of the keyboard itself (mine is on a bookshelf off to the left of my desk). I had to download a new driver from the Macally website to acheive full functionality with my OS 10.3.2 setup, but once I did I was delighted to find that many of the extra keys were pre-programmed to work with the apps I use most of the time. A full set of "transport" buttons tell iTunes to play/pause, stop, fast forward, etc., an email key launches the Mail app and a "www" button opens Safari, F1-12, volume and eject keys mimic those found on my PowerBook, and so on. Beyond that, an additional set of five user-definable keys and four Web-specific keys (located below the scroll wheel) provide even more flexibility. Of course, all of the non-alphanumeric keys are user-defineable for most any task you might have in mind.

I'm not the sort of computer user to get excited about things like user-definable keys on a keyboard, but I have to say that the ability to pause iTunes with a single keystroke is pretty great. Having a wireless keyboard is nice, too. I bet it'd be even nicer if I had my TiBook hooked up to one of those giant plasma screens that companies like Gateway are betting the future of computing on. But, alas, I don't.

$69 is a lot for a keyboard, but the rfKey can actually be had for as little as $35 as of my writing this. Macally also offers a wireless mouse and a non-wireless multimedia keyboard, as well.

All Macally products are available direct from the Macally Website and from other retail outlets that can be found using PCPrices.