Similar to the recently reviewed Macally IceStation, the Contour NoteRiser is a laptop stand designed to elevate and position your computer for ergonomically correct desktop use with an external keyboard/mouse. The NoteRiser also helps keep your PowerBook or iBook cool by promoting air circulation under the computer.

Unlike the plastic IceStation, the NoteRiser is constructed from metal, and really looks like it belongs in a design museum. The NoteRiser resembles a sort of shiny silver oragami scultpure, with its various folds and tabs. The tabs are more function than form, though, as they allow for the NoteRiser's five-position adjustability.

The NoteRiser is a great product. Like other Contour products, it's main function is to make using your computer a more ergonomically sound activity, and it succeeds admirably. It also folds to a near-flat 1/6" for storage and travel, weighs less than a pound, and features cushioned gripper dots on contact surfaces that prevent the stand from sliding around your desk (which is something of a minor problem with the IceStation).

The Contour NoteRiser also flat-out looks great. It screams of high-style, high grade design. Inevitably, this sort of comment usually leads a writer to next do a bit of his own screaming about a product's price. Well, plug your ears: The NoteRiser sells for $129.95 on Contour's website. That's a lot of money for a laptop stand.

I wrote to the people at Contour to ask about the price, and they responded by saying that the product was designed to the strictest ergonomic and manufacturing standards, and folds much more compactly than other products of its kind. All of this is true. Being that the NoteRiser is produced in Germany, I suppose it's not a stretch (though still corny) to call it the Mercedes-Benz of laptop stands. The NoteRiser is a sweet ride if you can afford it.

All Contour products are available direct from the Contour Store.