Lapworks, Inc. Articles and Reviews

The Orange County Register, Calif., Technology Profile Column

Article by the President of Lapworks

The Orange County Register, Calif., Technology Profile Column

Posted on Mon, Apr. 05, 2004
By Tamara Chuang, The Orange County Register, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

TARGUS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR INVENTIVE: Two years ago, José Calero considered his invention -- the Laptop Desk -- a nominal success.

From his home in Rancho Cucamonga, the retired packaging salesman and his wife sold the foldable laptop computer tables online at a steady clip of about 500 per month. But Calero had bigger dreams.

He wanted to get his product in retail stores. Easier said than done, he learned.
"They don't like buying it from the little guys," said Calero, 57, who calls his company LapWorks. Computer retailers preferred to work with just two or three major suppliers, such as Targus Inc., the purveyor of laptop bags and accessories. "(Retailers) said, 'When you sell it to someone like Targus, they'll let us know,'" he said.

So, he turned to Targus. The Anaheim company, which has a minimal research-and-development budget, prefers to work with the small fry and even is working on a program to make itself more approachable by inventors. If Targus believes the product could be a hit, inventors get a chance to put their products anywhere Targus brands are sold -- from Best Buy to Target and in 145 countries. In return, Targus gets something new to quench customers' thirst for the next great gadget.

"We're very dependent on new ideas to differentiate ourselves," said Ron Smith, Targus' chief marketing officer, who works with many of the inventors. "We've simply found that, over time, if you open yourself up to inventors, you become the recipient of hundreds of ideas that you wouldn't have come up with yourself. We're leveraging the minds of hundreds of people."

After he teamed up with Targus in late 2002, Calero saw sales of his Laptop Desk, which Targus dubbed the "LapDesk," surge to around 8,000 per month.

Revenues have tripled and he expects that to happen again this year, as Targus pushes the product into new retailers, such as CompUSA.

"We were doing OK selling the product online, but that was limited exposure. Working with a Targus is the only way to launch a product," Calero said.

Calero did much of the groundwork before partnering with Targus. He had a prototype made, filed for a patent and set up his own online store. He did his own sales and marketing, pitching the product to tech magazines and anyone who would listen. By the time Targus came on board, Calero already had engineering consultants, a manufacturer, package design and a marketing campaign.

Targus just placed an order.

Other innovators don't have the means to get as much accomplished as Calero, said Smith. That's why Targus is formalizing its program so it can work with inventors at different stages, offering help that ranges from manufacturing to distribution.

Targus wants to be more approachable, Smith said.

"I'd actually like Targus to go out and solicit inventors," he said.

In the past, Smith would get a random call or e-mail from an inventor. The majority of pitches, said Smith, aren't wacky. There's usually some merit to every idea.

The Targus team then analyzes the product -- whether it fits in Targus' lineup, whether retailers would go for it, how many consumers it would appeal to. If Targus is interested, details will be exchanged, a prototype made, retail interest gauged, potential profits estimated and, ultimately, an order placed by Targus.

"We are able to provide somebody a real response of the market readiness of their product," said Smith, who receives a handful of new queries each week. "If there is market acceptance, we'll move forward."
There are a lot of excellent ideas, but not all great ideas are market successes, he said.
"It's a business decision at the end of the day. The product has to gain acceptance among mobile users," he said.

"If you have a patent-pending technology that makes life easier for mobile travelers, come talk to us," Smith said.

Do you think you have something that fits that description? You can call him at (714) 765-5555.
ASK HIM: Ron Smith, the chief marketing officer at Anaheim-based Targus Inc., is trying to cultivate better relationships with inventors in order to develop potential products.

Tips for you José Calero's tips on turning ideas into reality:

--Get advice from the right people. "Never, ever, ever, ever, ever go to an invention service. They're only there to rip you off." Calero's suggestion: Southwest Missouri State University's Innovation Institute (www.innovationinstitute.com), which is led by Gerald G. Udell, who developed the PIES (Preliminary Innovation Evaluation System) to evaluate ideas.

--Apply for a provisional patent with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to protect the idea for 12 months. Details at www.uspto.gov/main/patents.htm

--Think big and you'll find a big partner. "Do not try to launch it yourself. You'll never have the money," Calero says.

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To see more of The Orange County Register, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ocregister.com

© 2004, The Orange County Register, Calif. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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How to Protect your Laptop and your Lap from Heat Build-up and Other Hazards
Or. . .
How to Prevent Groin Burns from Overheated Laptops

By José Calero, President, LapWorks, Inc.

January 2003

If you had been this guy, you wouldn’t be laughing! The BBC News World Edition recently reported that, “A Swedish scientist who rested his laptop computer on his lap for just an hour needed medical treatment for extensive blistering on his penis and scrotum. Unfortunately the blisters broke and developed into infected suppurating wounds.” The concerned doctor who treated the victim wrote in The Lancet, the UK’s best-known medical journal, warning the public of the potential dangers of using a laptop “in the literal sense.” (Is the good doctor implying that we need to use some sort of “protection” and practice “safe” computing when we use our laptops?) Read the whole story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2503291.stm

There you have it – proof positive that using a laptop computer unprotected can burn your lap and other delicate parts. So what are we to do? Stop using our laptops? I don’t think so! There are ways to have safe computing, you know. But for the 65 million or so laptop users in America, the heat hazard poses an even greater threat to their computers. Over time, the heat source that burns our lap can have an equally devastating effect on the internal components of our laptop.

So how does one have safe computing without losing intimacy with our laptop, while also protecting it from overheating? The answer is obvious - use protection. What kind? Try a Google search with the keywords “Laptop Desk” or “Lap Desk” or “Lap Tray”. There you will find all kinds of protection for both you and your laptop. We plowed through the many listings and narrowed the field to nine products that should help you practice safe computing.

VIEW PRODUCT COMPARISON CHART

But before we get to the product comparisons, let us be clear that groin burns aren’t the only hazard that laptop users are susceptible to. There are other hazards—both to the user and the laptop itself—that originate from two common laptop uses: Mobile use (on your lap) and stationary use (on your desktop).

Hazards When Using a Laptop on Your Lap:
Based on research conducted by LapWorks, Inc. (www.laptopdesk.net), two-thirds of all laptop owners reported using their laptops while mobile more often than stationary. Which means that laptop owners prefer 2 to 1 using their laptop in their easy chair watching TV, in airline terminals, in hotel lobbies or in bed surfing the Internet, as opposed to desktop use. As we rove around using our laptops in different ways, lap (or groin) burns are possible unless we use some form of protection.

A pillow is not a good choice. Many mobile users will sandwich a pillow between themselves and the laptop to protect their laps from “Hot Leg.” This comforts the user, but unfortunately does no favors for the computer. The pillow acts as an insulator and contains the heat within the laptop, accelerating overheating. The laptop’s cooling fan then cycles on repeatedly ‘gasping for air’ until it shuts your computer down to protect itself from serious heat damage.

Finally, you could permanently damage your laptop with a fatal drop. A white paper study conducted by IDC (International Data Corp., a Framingham, Mass. research firm) concluded that 68% of all damage to laptops comes from being dropped. This includes sliding off the user’s lap and crashing to a hard and unforgiving floor. IDC further reported that in 2001, it cost businesses and industry over one billion dollars to repair broken laptops, and replace them in some cases, totaling approximately $1,400 per incident.

Solutions to the Hazards of Lap Use:
Find a product with non-slip surfaces that spans your lap completely, can hold even the largest portable, and shields your lap from its blistering heat. Road warriors will also want something that’s lightweight, thin, and folds so it can easily fit in the computer bag.

To protect the computer from its own heat, find something with built-in ventilation channels that can actually reduce heat. You can reduce heat in two ways: convection (exchanging warm air for cool air) and conduction (transferring heat by contact from a warm surface to a cool surface). Look for products that reduce heat through convection or conduction or both.

Hazards When Using a Laptop on your Desk:
Strange as it may sound, the greatest risk of injuring yourself personally will most likely come when you use your laptop on a desktop over long periods of time. It is here that we risk injuring our neck and shoulders from hazards such as:

• Lower than recommended viewing height of the laptop screen
• Flat typing angle, or lack of incline of the laptop’s keyboard

Since most laptop computers are set flat on the desktop, their screen heights are all below the recommended, “ergonomically correct” viewing level. This means you must strain your neck to find information at the bottom of the screen, which can lead to more serious back problems over time. The recommended height for a computer screen is positioning the top of the screen at, or slightly below, eye level. This lets your eyes do the searching, instead of having to bend and strain your neck.

Another hazard comes from the laptop’s flat keyboard. In this position, we are forced to move our elbows away from our body to get our hands in the right position to type. Supporting our arms away from our body for long periods of time eventually strains the shoulders and back so that typing becomes tiring and more stressful.

The immediate effects of neck and back strain are discomfort and reduced productivity, but medical experts agree they can lead to more permanent health problems over time.

Solutions to the Hazards of Desk Use:
Ideally, the answer is to raise the back of the laptop computer to such an angle that it will:

1. Allow natural convection (and conduction if possible) to take place under the computer, reducing heat build-up and cooling your computer.
2. Raise the viewing screen height closer to eye level, reducing neck strain.
3. Put the keyboard in an incline allowing elbows to remain by your side in a more ergonomically comfortable typing angle.

Heat is Your Laptop’s Worst Enemy:
Aside from the catastrophic crash to the floor, the greatest damage to laptops comes from poor ventilation that causes overheating. Eventually, this overheating causes permanent damage, shortening your laptop’s life.

Overheating is the result of the market’s competitive demand for the thinnest form factor and greater processing power. The solution? Find a product that can actually reduce the heat by as much as 15% to 20%, which means your laptop’s cooling fan won’t cycle on as often, and your laptop computer can live a longer, healthier life!

Conclusion:
There are products that address these hazards, each to a greater or lesser degree. Keep in mind that the hazards listed above are real and documented, not just sales hype. If you are a committed laptop user, you’ll want to create the safest computing environment whenever and wherever you choose to use your laptop.

Give serious consideration to the below list of nine products and select the one that best meets your specific needs. And be careful out there . . . now that groin burns have been documented, you’ll want to use protection from now on so you can always practice safe computing.

Note About Products:
In the interest of relevance and brevity, the universe of laptop computer desks was narrowed to those that can solve most or all of the hazards listed above.

Laptop computer desks that were excluded were those on the periphery or with specialized applications like wheelchair mounted desks, automobile computer desks, clam-shell style computer bags, beanbag desks, tripod and pedestal computer desks, wheeled suitcases with flip-out desks, and the most voluminous category of all - furniture desks made of wood for home computing use.

VIEW PRODUCT COMPARISON CHART

About the Author
José Calero is the developer of the Laptop Desk™ and President of LapWorks, Inc. During his 2 1/2 year study of the mobile computing field, Mr. Calero has evaluated many lap desk products and developed an understanding of the market’s needs and the limitations of current lap desk offerings. The goals of this article are to make people aware of the hazards of improper laptop use, and to raise the flag on the damage caused by excessive heat build-up within the computer. José lives in Rancho Cucamonga, California with his wife, Leslie, of 33 years. They have 3 sons, two granddaughters, one dog and one cat. José can be reached by e-mail at jose@laptopdesk.net