Logitech N700 Lapdesk Speaker

A laptop is seldom kept on the lap, even though these days they are so light and compact (at least regular office use machines). The simple reason is heat emanated from the base, which causes obvious discomfort. Logitech have put their innovator cap on, and out of the woodwork comes a nifty little device they call the Lapdesk N700, which is actually a stereo speaker inculcated into a nice cushion pad.

Form and Features
The main idea behind this product is comfort. It offers the ability to the user to actually keep the laptop on the lap and work. This way one can sit back on a bean bag, sofa etc. and basically relax a little bit while working. The unit is slightly off white in color, with a mainly flat top surface married to a nice thick cushion layer on the bottom. The cushion too is off white in color, for our model. The right side has the on off slider switch for the in built fan (yes this product comes with a cooling fan as one of its features) and also volume control for the speakers.

The speakers themselves are positioned on right and left of the top surface, thus extending the pieces outwards under the laptop when the latter is placed. The cushion itself is of a really nice air meshed material, it definitely gets brownie points for feel and comfort even on bare skin; you can work wearing your shorts! Another good point is the simplicity in wiring: one USB cord that does it all, viz power the speakers and fan, and also transmit signal to speakers.

Specs
Max Screen size:   Up to 16” display
Speaker drivers:    2” high performance neodymium drivers
Power:                   2 Watts
Fan Speed:            31 dbA
Fabric material:      polyester and polyurethane( foam)
Connection:           USB 2.0

Usage and performance
The first thing to notice in a product like this is actually how easy it is to set up first, then how long does the easy set up last. Can I sit for hours and watch a movie with it, legs stretch out? Thus I fixed in a Dell XPS 1210, my personal machine which is is quite a heat monster. The lapdesk comes with these rubber laptop clip type holders which hold the machine in place, plus the base has a 10 degree slight incline, which ergonomically turns out to be quite beneficial.

Another good point is the quietness of the fan while cooling is on, the overall sound really does not cause audible disturbance even in a fully silent ambience. It sure is not silent, but overall noise levels are way lesser than say a noisy projector.

The final and most important thing I was interested in was the sound quality. The 2 watt speakers are sure a nifty little addition to the product, mainly as they are way better than any laptop in built speaker. The sound is loud enough for personal movie or music sessions. The sound quality per se is not spectacular, but one should not expect pristine audiophile quality from a cushion.( that’s what it this is, isn’t it?).

Conclusion
Overall at the price of Rs. 4,495  this is not exactly a steal, but, because the quality of the finishing, materials used really look and feel nice, I would say the price is definitely reasonable. I like ALL the features this Logitech N700 has to offer, right from the superb cushion to the simple connectivity to the speakers. The sound quality from the speakers is not the best, but at least the loudness and bass response are WAY better than laptop speakers. Those without budget constraints may by all means go for it, its a nice peripheral, and certainly useful.