Wired reviews the Phantom Lapboard

Tyranitar24 | August 28, 2008 | Reviews | Gaming Tech/Hardware

The Phantom Lapboard, a keyboard and a mouse that enables you to play with the PC gamer's goodies on the coach, has been reviewed by Wired.

Sadly, the device didn't fare too well in Wired's eyes. The Lapboard is supposed to give you a "comfortable angle" by tilting. Combine that with the fact that the mouse is below the keyboard, and you're not able to use all of the keys at once. A lot of the keys also didn't respond well.

So, is there anything good about this device? With every machine Wired tried, it was picked up almost automatically. Too bad it won't matter what machine you use it on if the keys hardly respond.

Wired: 4/10

If you buy a Lapboard, I'd recommend getting a different USB mouse, as the one that comes with the Phantom eschews all recent developments in ergonomic design. It's a square slab of plastic. Imagine mousing with a can of sardines. There's a reason PC gamers enjoy mice that are round and form-fitting: When you're clenching something for hours at a time, it helps if the object's designers at least tried to accommodate the shape of your hand.

The Phantom keyboard doesn't fare much better. Very few of the keys are actually available to you at any one time, because once the Lapboard is tilted up on its hinge, with your mouse underneath, most of the keys unreachable -- your hand can only stretch so far. That's fine if you only need W-A-S-D and one or two miscellaneous keys, but if that's the case, why did you bother lugging this contraption out to the couch in the first place?

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