Review: AViiQ Portable Laptop Stand

This is one of those no-batteries-needed ‘gadgets’ for your battery-hungry gadget, your laptop. I loved the AViiQ Laptop Stand the minute I saw it in a photo. It is just so sleek-looking with its European design sensibility. Of course, the fact that it folds up into a 1/4-inch thick board is what put me over the top. I took the AViiQ for a test drive and here’s what I found.

Design
The first thing you notice when you get the AViiQ is the solid black rectangular box that unhinges to reveal the folded up stand as well as a small compartment that holds a microfiber sleeve in case you want to keep it scratch-free. Even the box is well-designed, staying closed with hidden magnets instead of latches or other obvious mechanisms.

I pulled the stand out of the box and immediately set about unfolding it and turning it into its angled version. That took me all of about 1 minute. It was pretty intuitive.

It is super light (5.5oz) yet feels solid. It has a little give and will flex a little but only with quite a bit of force. You can read more about its materials at AViiQ’s website. It folds back up just as easily as it unfolds.

Usage
If you’re a regular reader of GfG, you’ll know that we’ve reviewed other laptop stands in the past, and there’s one that I still use constantly – the Lapworks Laptop Desk. It just works – it’s light, angles my laptop up, and most importantly keeps my legs and the laptop cool.

So you can imagine, that’s the first thing I tried to do with the AViiQ. I wasn’t expecting how badly this would fail for me. There are 2 rubber nodes that protrude from the stand at the apex of the wedge that angles the stand up and you have to position those on your knees in order for the stand not to lilt to one side. The other problem is that there are 2 not-soft protusions sticking into your legs, and the heavier your laptop, the worse it is.

Conclusion
What this means is that the AViiQ is definitely not a stand for your lap. It however is a great stand for a desk or kitchen counter that angles the keyboard up and keeps the laptop cool with good airflow to the underside. It has top-notch aesthetics and is designed for the modern age.

This video of the AViiQ in action really shows off what a slick piece of work it is:

(Disclaimer: Gizmos for Geeks received a complimentary review copy of this product.)