Product Name/Version: ALZAmela – PowerBook G4 Model, “Sloped”
Company: ALZAmela
Category: Laptop Stand
Price: US$21-$39
Date of Review: 18/11/02
Rating: Overall: 4 bounces – Pure Lust

Using a laptop computer on a daily basis in a variety of situations and environments makes you acutely aware of the many challenges that designing such a computer involves. In addition to computer-specific features, a myriad of physical, “real-world” factors need to be taken into account: dimensions, weight, heat dissipation, portability, access to plugs, etc.

Because of all these factors, designing a laptop computer is very much an exercise in compromise — and using such a laptop, again, makes you more acutely aware of the compromises that were made when designing the machine that you are using. Some of these compromises you might have known before you purchased the machine; others, you might discover as you actually start using the machine.

You might discover that some of the compromises are not exactly to your taste — that, if it had been left up to you, you would have designed things slightly differently, sacrificing this so that you could have more of that, and so on. You are then left with two alternatives: either you get rid of the machine and get a laptop model that is more suited to your needs, or you try to get used to the machine you have — which is usually a much more realistic alternative.

A Third-Party Accessory

There is a third way, however, and that’s where third-party offerings come into play. Some of the things that bother you in the machine you bought can sometimes, not be eliminated, but be remedied by affordable third-party accessories that are not too much of an additional burden to carry around.

To me, the ALZAmela stand is one of these accessories. Behind the weird-sounding Italian name (which, I am told, actually means “lift up apple” literally) is a range of simple stand designs that are intended to help alleviate some of the less enjoyable aspects of laptop computing with a PowerBook or iBook.

The various ALZAmela models all consist of a sheet of laser-cut plexiglass that matches the dimensions of the laptop that it is designed to complement. (There are models for the PowerBook G4, the white iBooks 12” and 14”, and the PowerBook G3. There are no models for the first-generation iBook, for obvious reasons.) For each laptop model, there are two ALZAmela models: one “flat” and the other one “sloped”.

The company was kind enough to provide me with a review unit of the PowerBook G4 “sloped” model. It comes with an instruction sheet and a set of 10 adhesive feet made of translucent rubber. Assembly is extremely simple: just unpack the ALZAmela, stick 4 of the adhesive feet under the four corners in the appropriate locations, and place your laptop on top of the ALZAmela.

For some reason, the instruction sheet makes it sound more complicated than it is, by asking you to position the ALZAmela on top of the sheet and align the logo engraved into the transparent plastic with the one in the sheet drawing. I tried this, but the positions for the rubber feet indicated on the sheet for my ALZAmela model didn’t match the ones that were already marked in the plexiglass itself. (The sheet also has a number of spelling mistakes that give away the company’s Italian origins. The company told me that they have since corrected and modified the information sheet.)

Benefits

In any case, assembly is a breeze. The main benefit of the ALZAmela is obvious: by adding space between the laptop and the surface on which it rests, it creates airflow that helps dissipate the heat generated by the computer, thus avoiding excessive fan action in warmer environments.

The additional benefit of the “sloped” model over the “flat” one is that it also corrects the flatness of the laptop keyboard. Most desktop computer keyboards are sloped, and it indeed feels more natural to type on a slightly sloped keyboard than one a flat one.

I found that that the PowerBook G4 “sloped” model had another side benefit: by lifting the back of the laptop off its resting surface, it makes the range of jacks available in the back (USB, Ethernet, FireWire, etc.) more accessible. The PowerBook G4 has a small flap-door covering these jacks that is well-designed, but can get in the way when your laptop is resting flat on a desk and you want to reach behind to plug in your USB mouse or FireWire camcorder. The fact that the ALZAmela lifts the whole back of the laptop off the surface allows the flap-door to open a bit more, which reduces the problem. In addition, the problem with the PowerBook G4’s extremely flat design is that the top of the opening of certain jacks, such as the phone (modem) jack and the Ethernet jack is very close to the screen hinge, which sticks out the back and makes it a bit harder to access these jacks and especially to unplug the phone and Ethernet plugs, which require that you press on the top plastic part of the plug that sticks out slightly when it’s plugged in. Now, the ALZAmela cannot change anything to the hinge problem itself, but by putting the whole back of the computer at an angle, it certainly makes access to all jacks, including these two, somewhat easier.

Of course, the problem does not exist with iBook models, since most of the jacks are on the side. But PowerBook owners should be especially pleased with the relief provided by the ALZAmela in that particular respect.

As mentioned earlier, the feet of the ALZAmela are made of half-spheres made of clear rubber with an adhesive flat side. The material that the feet are made of provides a firm grip on any surface. In fact, the grip is almost too strong, actually requiring you to lift the ALZAmela off the surface if you want to move your laptop, whereas the PowerBook’s rubber feet are not so restrictive. On the other hand, this means that the ALZAmela provides a very stable environment with little risk of unwanted movement.

Portability

For an accessory designed for a portable laptop computer, one of my main issues was to determine whether the ALZAmela was indeed as portable as the computer and could be easily carried along. This is definitely the case, even with the sloped model, which obviously takes up a little more space. The only problem I have identified is that the adhesive used for the rubber feet is not quite strong enough. Trying to slide the ALZAmela in and out of the tight environment of my laptop backpack, I found that the feet would come off too easily. This is nothing, however, that a little drop of Krazy Glue won’t fix, especially considering that there is no reason not to want to glue the feet permanently. In any case, the ALZAmela comes with enough extra feet (6) to remedy an accidental loss — and I am also quite confident that these generic, 3M-made adhesive rubber feet are fairly easy to come by.

The reason the ALZAmela’s portability is important is that you’ll soon find that it is a rather useful companion in situations where you don’t have a flat surface to rest your laptop on. After all, as the name indicates, a laptop is also meant to be used on one’s lap, either sitting in a doctor’s waiting room or lounging on the sofa in one’s own living room. As PowerBook G4 owners know all too well, some laptops can get very hot indeed, especially in the battery area, and, if your layer of leg clothing is not thick enough or if you are not wearing any (which, granted, is more likely to happen in your living room than in a doctor’s waiting room), then the heat at contact points can indeed become unbearable. The good news is that the sloped ALZAmela can also be very useful in such situations. Its design ensures that the laptop won’t slip, and that there will be a comfortable layer of air and plexiglass between the bottom of the laptop and your lap.

The Last Word

ALZAmela makes eight different models, 2 for each of the following laptop models: white iBook 12”, white iBook 14”, PowerBook G3, and PowerBook G4. Three different types/shades of plexiglass are used: clear plexiglass for the iBook models, “smoked” plexiglass for the PowerBook G3 and “sand” (semi-opaque white) plexiglass for the PowerBook G4.

Prices range from $21 for the iBook 12” flat model to $39 for the PowerBook G4 sloped model. Sizes match the corresponding laptop models. Weight ranges from 206 to 300 gr (7.3 to 10.6 ounces).

If you have a friend or family member who owns one of these laptop models, the ALZAmela will make a nice and useful Christmas gift!