Ross's posterous

Here are a few problems I have with my laptop:

Smaller screen resolution

If you do just about any multi-tasking activity - whether it's coding or just organising files and folders - more screen space makes a world of difference. While my laptop has a widescreen-size monitor (resulting in an odd resolution: 1366*768) I need a dual monitor in my day-to-day life.

Flat keyboard

This drawback worries me a lot. Nearly all laptops come with the flat keyboard variety and I think it's killing my wrists. Compared with the traditional keyboard, it's got less 'tactile-feedback' - when you press down a key it doesn't sink in as far as a traditional keyboard; when laptop users are often coming from using a desktop keyboard they're used to having to hit the keys relatively hard to press the key to the bottom - in a laptop keyboard it's far less, which causes users to "punch" the keys with more force. I can't find a source on whether this could be a risk in getting RSI (I'm sure I've read it before somewhere), but I have experienced these effects.

The flatness of the keyboard is also an issue - while I don't have a fancy 'wave'-style keyboard even my G15 steps the keys downwards with each row. There also aren't many keyboard wrist rests for laptops - since the trackpad is usually in the way of where it would sit. The end result is that you end up with your hands parallel to the board which isn't good for your wrists. As I code a lot in my spare time this is a lot of typing in a bad manner.

Ventilation

Laptops get hot! The batteries especially so ;). Personally, I think this is a design flaw - laptops are designed to be placed on the user's lap, yet that's where the laptops' air intake and cooling fans are (not, that there is a better place to put them, realistically). My Dell Studio 15 gets around this by having a large vent on the spine of the laptop, right above the battery (this is really hot) which helps alleviate this a bit.

Resolving

So how to put these problems to rest? The solution to all these problems, where the laptop is staying in one place, is a simple laptop stand. This firstly, reduces the laptop's footprint, allowing more room for a second monitor and a large keyboard. This also has the added advantage of putting the screen at eye-level. As for ventilation, it depends on the stand. Having my laptop's spine-vents in the air, rather than blocked with desk matter, was certainly an improvement, but a solid laptop stand kinda blocks the ventilation on the base of the laptop. I received the stand I'm using right now as a birthday present (what, 18 hours ago?) and it solves this problem easily - the base of the stand is a fan, powered by the laptop's USB. It's the CoolMaster NotePal ErgoStand, and as well as having the USB-powered fan it doubles as a USB hub with an additional 4 ports (3 minus the laptop's port) - something my laptop severely lacks.

While this settles the situation when the laptop is at it's "base station", what about when you're on the move? The stand itself collapses to a thin size - about the same width as the laptop - however it isn't too comfy on the knees. Carrying a full size keyboard around isn't really an option and there aren't really any alternatives that I've found. This is something that laptop designers need to factor in themselves (or perhaps there is a market for an ergo-keyboard that fits over the existing one). Again, lugging a monitor around isn't a solution either (or maybe it is?) - this ends up as a choice for the user when buying a laptop - screen size or portability?