( 15 reviews )
-
Posted: Aug 10 2009
I bought this stand for use with my 13" MacBook Pro. After using this stand for a week I can say that it does not operate as a implied. As a stand I would rate it a 5 star, the design of the stand is simple, usb ports are laid out in a effective manner, and it has rubber padding to protect against scratching the laptop. The built in cable management is functional (barely but good enough). Where this product looses two stars is that the device requires a AC adapter yet it is not a true powered USB hub. What this means is high powered devices like portable hard drives will not work properly; I personally experienced power-up and power-downs with both my new Seagate FreeAgent Go and older WD Passport Go/Simpletech drives. It seems to work fine with flash drives and my webcam. Another area that you may be affected by not being a true powered hub is if you have a device that draws power from USB even when the computer is off such as the Logitech G5 wireless reciever which doubles as a battery charger; it recieves no power when the laptop is off and thus does not charge the battery. I can't understand why Logitech designed it this way as it would have been a perfect five star if it was a true powered hub. Despite the issue with usb power, I went ahead and bought a second one for my 15" Sony laptop because as a stand it the design is top notch, and compared to everything in its price range ($40)it is far more functional. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a laptop stand first, with the USB hub part as a "nice to have" since it effectively is a non-powered hub.
-
Posted: Jun 22 2009
The Logitech Alto Connect notebook stand is nice looking and well-made. It's a little expensive though, given that it's really nothing more than a 4-port powered USB hub shaped like a notebook stand/riser. I think it looks better than most of the notebook stands I've seen, and it seems to be very well made. In the back are three convenient, but discreetly placed, USB ports, and then there's a fourth port up front for easy access (for your thumb drives and other rapidly changing what-not). When you set your laptop on the riser, you just plug the riser's USB plug into your laptop, and all the peripherals plugged into the riser are connected instantly (iPhone sync cable, keyboard, mouse, that sort of stuff). Aesthetically. the riser is very nice. Quality-wise, I've had no problems with it at all since I got it - it's worked perfectly!
-
Posted: May 22 2009
I wanted a stand for my MacBook Pro that would raise the screen to eye level. I ultimately settled for this over the Griffin CURV2 Elevator stand. One of the things I like about this stand also happens to be something I don't like about it. Unlike the CURV2, this stand doesn't have empty space underneath it. This makes for a very solid base and I don't have to worry about the potential of me knocking my computer off. Unfortunately, this also means that I loose the space underneath the computer; with the CURV2 you can store your keyboard underneath the computer when it's not being used. This is less of a problem if you have a large desk area to work with. Also, the front of the stand will block the optical drive on the older MacBooks Pros and PowerBooks. I don't use the optical drive too often so it's not a big deal. One of the advantages the Alto Connect has over the CURV2 is the powered USB hub built in. The Alto Connect is definitely a nice stand, and makes your laptop much more desktop-like if you don't mind the steep price tag.
