Goodbye Aching Neck: A Practical Test of Two Notebook Stands

9. Conclusion: Not Ideal, But A Good Start

Say what you will about ergonomics: After several weeks of our practical test, we were able to confirm a reduction in shoulder and neck tension and less back pain - provided you use a consistent upright sitting posture and an external keyboard. That said, in our view, neither Ambir's Xbrand 360° Laptop Stand XB1002-00, nor the Kensington Laptop Desktop USB 2.0, are optimally designed to meet ergonomic criteria.

The Xbrand 360° could use a finer height adjustment mechanism and an integrated document holder. Overhead lighting also reflects harshly off the surface of the stand, especially around the front handle; matte black or soft gray would've been a better choice for finish. On the positive side, we liked the fact that the unit is easy to operate for left-handers and right-handers alike. Kudos as well for the extremely convenient placement of (some of) the USB ports on the front left and right of the stand's base. We judge the $120 price to be pretty much at the upper limit of what a private individual would shell out for such a gadget.

The Laptop Desktop USB 2.0 is attractive mainly due to its very low price, nice design and integrated document holder. But the designers of this model neglected to consider how left-handers might be expected to operate the adjustment mechanism. Also, placing all of the USB ports on the back doesn't seem to have been an exceptionally bright idea.

It should not be forgotten that both units can be turned sideways, making it easier to correctly position the display in the user's field of vision. That's also practical when you want to show something to your colleague sitting next to you. Beyond that, there's no annoying plugging and unplugging of peripheral devices like USB workstation printers, card readers and external hard drives, since both accessories feature an integrated USB 2.0 hub.

But the stands do not represent an adequate alternative to classic, model-specific and generally expensive docking stations for business notebooks. That's because wired Ethernet continues to dominate the business environment for connecting to the corporate network and peripherals. If you have wireless network access, however, the stands might also represent a cost-efficient alternative for a business user.