We’ll admit to a bit of scepticism when the Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N700 came out of the box. In fact, it faced outright ridicule from certain quarters of the team, who just couldn’t see why you’d pay for a tray to rest your laptop on. But the N700 is more than that, as the few who gave it a chance soon discovered.
It is, essentially, a padded tray for comfortable use while on a sofa, but thanks to an integrated USB cable that can draw power from your laptop, it doubles up as a speaker. It’s large enough to house laptops up to 16in, and on either side sit 2W speakers that take over the audio responsibilities during playback. Just set your video or music playing, then use the handy volume controls on the right side to find a comfortable level.
Two 2W speakers might not sound much, but at full volume the N700 goes way beyond any audio you’ll get from all but the biggest media laptops. The sound is full and has a fair amount of bass, and we heard no distortion at top volume.
There’s also a little switch beneath the volume controls that activates the Lapdesk’s cooling mechanism. A small fan beneath the laptop whirs into action, feeding air from the underside of the tray, and it comes with two small stoppers to lift your laptop slightly and improve airflow if required.
To see the appeal of the N700, you have to be the kind of person who regularly watches a movie or listens to music on a laptop while relaxing on the sofa. For anyone else – Logitech says it can be used on a desk, too – we’re unconvinced. The other huge stumbling block is the price: price it at £30 and we’re sold, but £60 exc VAT is simply too much for us to consider shelling out.
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