MacMove Recommends

You're either in the market for a laptop desk, or you're not.

First of all, you've got to use a notebook computer and you've got to use it a lot. And, to really be a target consumer for [The Laptop Desk 2.0](http://laptopdesk.net/laptopdesk2f.html) from [Lapworks](http://laptopdesk.net), you need to be the kind of person that uses that notebook in many places, at and away from tables and desks. If that sounds like you, then you should take a long look at this product because, while this is not a flashy product, it knows what it is and it does what it should.

##Expectations##
What should a product like this do?

* It should create a sturdy, portable work surface on which you can place your notebook computer and/or a mouse, and work comfortably.
* It should protect your lap from heat generated by your notebook computer.
* It should be portable.
* It should be reasonably priced.

##Does it deliver?##

The Laptop Desk 2.0 delivers on all of these.

First and foremost, when unfolded, the unit creates a work surface over 20 inches wide and over 11 inches from front to back. It's big enough to hold any of Apple's current notebooks with room to spare for a mouse if you want. It's unique hinge prevents it from opening too far, and anti-slip stuff keeps the computer from moving and the desk itself from moving on your lap.

The unit's design features recessed channels which allow heat from the computer to dissipate away from your legs. I was able to use my PowerBook on my lap for hours without feeling heat in my legs. I also use the Laptop Desk in bed, both sitting up and lying down (with the Desk on my chest). It performed perfectly.

The Desk has two basic modes. First, when you unfold it completely, it forms a 20 inch-wide surface which you can place across your knees so that, wherever you find yourself, you can create a solid, sturdy desk to work on, as long as you can sit down. The unit can also function as a tilted laptop stand at your desk: you unfold it a small amount and set up the support arm. The arm creates a wedge that can hold your laptop at any of five different angles, inclining the typing surface and bringing the screen closer to you face.

When you fold the Laptop Desk 2.0 completely, you're left with a flat package just over 1/2" thick and about two inches wider than a piece of paper. It will slip right into your laptop bag and, as an added bonus, will add stiffness and protection to your bag. It weighs 22 oz, which is not a lot, considering the benefits.

The LapWorks website contains [a bunch of information](http://laptopdesk.net/thermal/thermalstudy-introf.html) about how independent researchers have found proof that using the Laptop Desk will reduce heat buildup and increase your laptop's life-span. I don't know that I really believe that, but the comfort benefits alone have sold me.

##Any complaints?##

I'm happy to say that I don't have any real complaints about this product. I don't want to spoil the ending, but I'm going to give it MM Recs status. If I had to pick something to complain about, I might focus on price. The unit sells for $29, which seems like a lot for an item that I, personally, would not use every day. However, if I were a business traveller, that price would be much more reasonable. (The company does have an offer for two units for a $10 discount, but how many customers need more than one of these things?) Like I said at the beginning of the review, you're either in the target market for this product, or you're not.

If you have need for a product like this, you'll be happy with the LapWorks Laptop Desk 2.0. If it doesn't seem like a perfect fit, the company's website offers different models to chose from as well.

Peter Cohen, over at MacWorld, [writes today](http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/editors/2006/07/procare/index.php?lsrc=mwrss) about [ProCare](http://www.apple.com/retail/procare/), Apple's in-store, extra-special service package. I won't bother telling you the details, since you can read them yourself, but let me just say this: **ProCare is the best deal available at the Apple Store.** If you live within an hour's drive of an Apple retail store and don't already know more than the Mac Specialists and Geniuses who work there, then you owe it to yourself to look into getting a ProCare account.

**Update**: Over at the [PlanetMike Blog](http://www.planetmike.com/journal/2006/08/01/re-procare-ite28099s-about-time-someone-noticed/), Mike picked up on this post and commented:
>The major problem [with ProCare] is you have to get a Procare account for each computer that you want covered. So for my small office of around 20 Macs, we’re talking an extra $2,000/year.

Not true, Mike. This is a common misconception. ProCare accounts are tied to the *user*, not to a computer the way AppleCare is. So a single user (like, say, an IT guy at a small office) can use a single ProCare account to get assistance with many machines. Or, if you ask at your local Apple store, you will find that they offer discounts (not huge ones, but something) on multiple ProCare accounts purchased together.

*(Ed. Note: The following product review was prepared and written by Josh, a new contributor here at MacMove. He is far hipper and more stylish than I am, so this seemed to be a good piece to introduce him with. It's about the iPod and he is 'down with that.' If you like what Josh has to say, let him know by posting a comment.)*

One of the biggest problems for college students these days is not whether or not to ditch class, but how to wear and protect their iPod when they are on the move. Boy, did the Kenpo iPod Jacket come at the right time. You will never have to bring your iPod Armband with you unless you are going to the gym.

This jacket is lightweight and, most importantly, waterproof. Picture this: it is snowing or raining outside and class or work is a long walk away. You need your iPod with you–you can’t live without it–but God forbid it may get wet and possibly ruined if you carry it with you outside. What do you do?

Simply put your iPod into the specially-designed pocket on the inside of this jacket, plug in a few things and run your headphones up the track on inside of the jacket. You’re off, and your iPod is safe and sound in the jacket’s pocket.

How do you control it you ask? Simple: this jacket has a specially designed system that keeps your iPod in hold mode when you aren‘t listening to it. The controller is on the outside of the left forearm. IT’S LIKE HAVING A NINTENDO POWER GLOVE ON!!

To unlock the iPod, simply press down on the track-forward key and count (preferably to yourself) for three seconds. Now your iPod is unlocked and you can shuffle songs and adjust volume... and it automatically returns to hold after three seconds of inactivity! Its brilliant!

If the jacket gets dirty, no problem. You just unsnap the special ribbon connector that is attached to the inside of the jacket pocket and the jacket is ready to wash or dry clean. There’s even a friendly reminder to remove your iPod before washing.

Finally by keeping the ipod inside your jacket, you limit its exposure to possible theft.

###Five things you need to know###

* The jacket has several zipper pockets on the sides and underneath the forearms which are perfect for the other junk you need to carry. Because they zip, none of your crap will fall out. It’s a nice detail.
* The designed inside pocket for your iPod has *just* the perfect amount of room for an iPod and–most importantly–a skin. I used this jacket with my iPod photo. Even though I had to take my belt clip off, my ipod and skin fit perfectly inside the pocket.
* The jacket does not come with a hood. So I put on my hooded sweatshirt and then the Kenpo jacket over my hoodie. Happy to say that the jacket still fit comfortably.
* The jacket’s controls do not include a menu key, so make sure you are in the proper playlist or willing to listen in shuffle song mode before putting your ipod into the jacket.
* A newer model could be made to accommodate a lady’s figure. This jacket is clearly for a man with a tall build and long arms. Fashion-wise, it looks great, a lot like a North Face fleece which instantly makes anybody cool.

If you can never leave your home without your ipod and you take the subway to work this jacket is for you. If you are always outdoors whether walking to work or school; this jacket is for you. If you jog regularly, hike, or travel on a boat or sea (don‘t want your ipod getting wet from the water), this jacket is for you. And if you want to be in vogue you need this jacket.

###Addendum###

* You can visit the Kenpo website [here](http://kenpofashion.com/kenpo.html) to learn more. (Warning: The site auto-plays a commercial that includes music.)
* We received one jacket for review but images at the Kenpo website show other styles, including at least one hooded jacket. According to the site, there are 4 men's styles available.
* The jacket is compatible with all model iPods except the iPod shuffle.

[Leo Laporte](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Laporte) is back where you can see him.

If you don't know who [Leo](http://www.leoville.com) is, then you've been missing out on a great resource for the Mac and for computing in general. He writes books, has been on several tech-related TV and radio shows and is the current host of [Call for Help](http://callforhelptv.com/) a call-in technology show on the G4 network in Canada. He is also the host of [This Week in Tech](http://twit.tv/), a podcast affectionately refered to as TWiT, which focuses on tech issues.

Anyway, he's got a new Podcast, MacBreak, which has only released one episode so far, but promises to be excellent. One of his co-hosts, [Alex Lindsay](http://dvgarage.com/who/who.php), is a digital photo and video expert who works for an outfit called DV Garage. He does all sorts of neat stuff there, including a project called the [Pixel Corps](http://www.pixelcorps.com/), a training guild for digital media creation. Alex's involvement means that the production value of the podcast (which is video, not audio) is high and, as Alex put it in a recent email announcement, they're really blurring the lines between broadband content and television.

MacBreak feels like a TV show... except that there are no commercials and you get to watch it, for free, whenever you want. I don't recommend a whole lot of Podcasts, because there are so many diverse choices that you really need to search to find what's right for you. I can make an exception in this case: MacBreak is targeted at the same audience as MacMove. If you enjoy our little site, you should check out this video Podcast ([subscription link](http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=119110543&s=143441)).

Whether you know what the Services Menu is or not, you're going to like this post.

A while back, I posted an [article](http://www.macmove.com/mm/archives/apple/another-switch) about how I made the switch from Safari to FireFox. I talked about how FireFox can do just about everything that Safari can... and I caught some heat for that generalization. You see, in the discussion which followed the post, **brett** said that FireFox...

>lacks support for OSX Services

which is a deal-breaker for him. He was backed up by **ajit**, who said:

>If firefox used services, the browsing percentage would shift to 80 to 20 in favor of firefox.

Now, them's fighting words. And, it prompts the question: What are "services"? (And, if I was a more clever writer, it might prompt the question: "Seth, are you aware of a new, super-cool freeware application that lets me manhandle the items in my Services menu in useful ways?" But, I'm not and it doesn't.... but I will answer that question, too.)

Look up at the Application Menu – it's the one named the name of the application you're currently running – and you'll see a menu item (and sub-menus) labeled "Services." This is one of those cool little pieces of OS X that you probably don't know about yet because Apple is so busy bragging about Spotlight, Dashboard and back-episodes of *[Knight Rider](http://www.macmove.com/mm/archives/apple/more-itms-tv)* that they haven't gotten to it yet. Services are, in effect, pieces of applications that you can run from inside other applications, without launching the application itself.

Confused? How about an example:

Let's say you want to share an article you read online with your Aunt Sally. You could just send her the URL, but you would like to be more helpful, so you just highlight the text of the article, copy it and paste it into a fresh, new email. If you do that, you might find that the text of the email itself comes with line breaks at the end of each line, making the email difficult to read. You could just erase them yourself, but if it's a long article, that would be a pain.

Now, if you read my [last article](http://www.macmove.com/mm/archives/heads-up/a-remarkable-deal-on-something-you-probably-didnt-even-know-you-wanted) and became a user of BBEdit, then you know you can easily eliminate line breaks in a block of text using BBEdit (or almost any other text editor). But, that would mean launching another application.

Enter [SmartWrap](http://www.selznick.com/products/smartwrap/index.htm), a nifty little shareware application written by Sanford Selznick and available for only $18. What does it do? It:

>...analyzes your text, detects paragraphs and lists within your text, and re-wraps your text so it wraps naturally within your document or message.

Cool, no? But that's just half the story. You see, in our example, Windows users would need to copy and paste the text into the SmartWrap application to let it do its magic. But those of us lucky enough to use OS X can simply access the SmartWrap capabilities from within their email program via the Services menu! Then, right there within your email, SmartWrap does its magic.

That's how services work. And, though it's far from true that *every* Mac application uses Services, *many* of them do; enough to be useful. Some applications allow Services to work within their environment, and others actually include Services to be used in other applications. Apple doesn't require it, but most good Mac apps include at least *some* support for Services. (And, no, FireFox does not provide Services, nor does it allow Services from other applications to work.)

Now, what about that neat application I promised to tell you about? Here it is: It's called [Service Scrubber](http://www.petermaurer.de/nasi.php?section=servicescrubber&layout=default) and, once you get into using Services, you're going to *love* it (and its nifty icon). In a nutshell, it allows you to clean up and re-order items in the Services menu, assign and change keyboard shortcuts and – most importantly – disable the ones you don't ever want to use. So, even though some application programmer thought you would want the capability to search the Wikipedia in [Azərbaycan](http://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/) from within any application, if you don't want it in your Services menu, you can eliminate it.

And *that*, dear readers, is the sort of OS configurability that makes a computer a real pleasure to use. So, get to it! Configure that durn' menu to your heart's content... then come back here and comment about what Services you use the most!