Logitech Alto Notebook Stand w/Integrated Keyboard

Amazon Customer Reviews

(5 out of 5)

This thing is so great I had to write a review!

This device works exactly as advertised. The keyboard, while not quite as nice as my regular PC keyboard, is ten times better than any laptop keyboard.

Anyone who needs to use their laptop to do some serious typing at a remote location should order one of these things immediately!

You may also use this at home if you are too cheap to buy separate a monitor and keyboard for your notebook, but the separate keyboard and monitor, along with a docking station, is the better solution for those who can afford it and have the space to leave it permanently set up.

Some caveats: (1) It takes up a lot more desk space than just using your laptop computer by itself; (2) the no skid pad, while effectively preventing the keyboard from skidding, is a real dirt magnet; (3) although it folds easily for storage, it's pretty heavy so it's not something you would carry around all the time--it weighs more than twice as much as my little Sony Vaio; (4) the power adapter, which is only needed if you want to power up the built-in USB hub, is NOT included.

(3 out of 5)

Doesn't work w/ all laptops (read my review!)

Now I see why some people hate this and some people love it. If it worked properly, I'd be pretty happy and it would be 4 stars instead of 3.

THIS DOESN'T WORK WITH ALL LAPTOPS. If the front bottom edge of your laptop is tapered (like my Toshiba Satellite), then it will slide off the little rubber bumper that is supposed to hold up the computer! If you have a Dell, Thinkpad, Macbook, etc, then this should work fine because the bottom edge of those are very square.

The Good:
*Attractive design, nice materials (the palm rest is soft, magnetic "latch" to keep it closed, etc).
*Makes working for long periods of time much easier.

The Bad:
*Doesn't work with all laptops and doesn't tell you that until you open the box and find out the hard way - This is the main reason I only gave it 3 stars.
*The Esc and Function keys are smaller and lower than normal, making it harder to hit them without messing up your flow. This is a big deal for someone who uses those keys alot (like for photoshop actions or just using escape to get passed alert boxes).

For the money, you can get a regular usb keyboard and a seperate laptop stand that, overall, will be more functional and not have the same shortcomings as this product. But it probably won't be as visually attractive if you did it that way. Still, it sucks having to hack something you just bought to get it to work right (with my Toshiba).

(1 out of 5)

Stay away from this Rube Goldberg rig

I bought this keyboard from Amazon and I couldn't believe how badly it was designed. Quite out of character for Logitech I would say. Neither my son's HP notebook nor my Toshiba notebook would stay propped up on this Rube Goldberg rig. The stand blocked the front panel controls on the Toshiba and threatened to send the HP off onto the floor. Perhaps Amazon hopes to increase sales of replacement notebooks after this rig sends a bunch crashing off the table. BTW, I returned this product to Amazon and add insult to injury Amazon deducted return shipping from my refund. Not a good experience.

(2 out of 5)

Flimsy Stand, USB Hub Useless, Huge Footprint

The deal-breaker for me is that the "3" port USB hub does not have enough juice to power itself and my iPod. This means I can't even use 1 of the 3 USB ports. Actually, half the time the unit power surges on its own causing my laptop to kill the connection. So the keyboard is deactivated until I reset the USB port and power cycle the keyboard. The only thing I can figure is that the keyboard itself uses too much power.

I can understand if my addition USB peripherals overloaded the USB port on my laptop through the Alto USB hub... but when it overloads my USB port all by itself with nothing else plugged in... the device is pulling too much juice. I have dozens of USB devices in my office that I've used with this notebook. I've used $14 USB hubs without problem. I had no idea you could even trip a USB port until I got this device.

If a power cord was provided this would be non-issue. But you have to buy it as an optional accessory.

The good:

- Looks sharp.
- I love Logitech's products. Great company. Will continue to buy from them.

The bad:

- Huge footprint. Takes up a bunch of desktop space.
- USB power hog renders USB hub useless without power cord.
- Power cord not provided.
- Stand mechanism is flimsy.
- Stand mechanism does not adjust and holds notebook too high.

(5 out of 5)

Notebook Stand

I use this every day and I just love it. It raises the screen on my laptop to an easier viewing level. The keyboard is also a plus. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this product