LapStyle "The Beast" Laptop Cover Review

<!-- Generated by XStandard version 1.7.1.0 on 2006-12-23T21:38:53 -->

Introduction

A few weeks ago I ran across a post on Gizmodo.com, a blog I keep track of, and I couldn't believe my eyes about a furry laptop cover being discussed there. This furry laptop cover was made by a company named Lapstyle who called these covers &quot;designer covers&quot;, anyone else would probably refer to them as a fur coat for your laptop. All the same, my disbelief and curiousity led me to place an order for one of the &quot;The Beast&quot; laptop covers for $24.99 to see if it was indeed a bad joke (scam) or something would actually show up in the mail.

Lapstyle offers a wide selection of furry laptop covers

Well, something sure did show up in the mail, in fact the cover arrived in a USPS envelope precisely 2 days after I placed the order. That's amazing considering shipping was free, maybe I was wrong to hold such a cynical viewpoint initially and this experience would turn out well. If not, I could at least write this lighthearted review.

Package and Design

The Lapstyle Beast cover even came nicely packaged in a plastic bag that felt durable yet easy to open thanks to a plastic zipper on top.

The Lapstyle Beast laptop cover in its packaging (view large image)

Yes, things were looking up. But then I opened the package and realized what this thing truly is -- a shag carpet designed to cling to your laptop.

The cover unfurled (view large image)

The <strike>victim</strike> laptop to be covered

 

When you open the Lapstyle cover package you get an instruction sheet, 8 velcro pieces of material with a white seal on the back (the while seal is to cover an adhesive glue that will actually glue to your laptop), and then the actual furry cover on which you can see two rectangular Velcro loop material areas.

 

Step 1 is to take the 8 Velcro strips and Velcro them to the hooks already on the cover

Then you peel off the white backing from these strips which exposes an extremely sticky glue substance that your laptop will now stick to

 

The next step is to sit your laptop onto the exposed glue backing of the velcro hook strips

Then fold the cover in half so it glues to the top of the laptop as well

 

And here's the end result, a ThinkPad furry Beast laptop (view large image)

 

The glue on the back of the Velcro hook strips is very strong, I had my doubts it would stick properly to the case of the laptop, but quite obviously the adhesive force of the glue to the laptop case is greater than the adhesive force of the Velcro hooks and loops. To demonstrate this witness the following image of the strips now being adhered firmly to the laptop while the fur can be pulled away (allowing you to swap it with a different Velcro fur cover if you are so enthused):

(view large image)

 

Now, luckily for my ThinkPad laptop the largest heat vent is on the left side, so it can still operate the fan and cool itself. But as for the vents on the bottom of the laptop, well, they're covered with fur.

(view large image)

(view large image)

 

Unhappily, getting to the power port on the back of the ThinkPad is now rendered impossible, you'd have to cut a hole in the furry cover to actully plug in the laptop. But seeing as the cover is furry and awkward to cut small holes in, good luck with that. The monitor out port on my ThinkPad is also well and truly covered by this fur coat. Many people have a few USB ports and such on the back of their laptops. But do you really need to use such things?

Oh yes, and then we have the optical drive. Well, it still opens easily with the fur coat on. But I found when closing the drive the fur bits tend to get stuck in the door as it closes. If you shove hard enough the door will close anyway. You could always trim the fur a bit shorter in that area I suppose.

The beast sticks its tongue out (view large image)

Furry bits getting stuck in the disc drive make it hard to close now (view large image)

 

I was starting to wonder if this attempt at a fashion statement might be a fashion faux pas. The cover looked downright ugly to me, but some friends tell me ugly is in (no kidding) so maybe I should give this cover a chance to impress and take it to a Starbucks to see what kind of looks I get from laptop toting bloggers and studying students of the world. But before I could do that I began to fear for my laptop's life as the fan revved into high gear and the temperature crept up to 64C on a laptop that usually rests somewhere in the 50's:

 

Getting a little warm under the fur coat (view large image)

The fine print of the instructions says the company is not responsible for any damage done to your laptop because of the cover. It says that it's been tested for use over a 24 hour period with no overheating. Caveat emptor though. (view large image)

 

Despite the fact the instructions tried to reassure the covers had been tested on laptops for up to 24 hours safely without any overheating, I wasn't feeling a good vibe about this whole experience so I stripped the cover off of my ThinkPad (getting those glued on strips off was tough, but doable) so that it was back to its naked self -- and breathing easier for it.

Conclusion

If you're somebody that really loves to draw attention to yourself, the Lapstyle fur cover on your laptop could be one way to do that. They also make for a fun conversation piece, I'm sure people would come up to you if you used this thing in a public space (I wasn't brave enough to in the end). However, if you want to personalize your laptop and express yourself, I'd recommend getting a custom laptop paint job as a better and safer (albeit more expensive) way to do that. This cover can block your ports, heat vents and optical drive so it's really a high price to pay in terms of sacrificing usability for, umm, &quot;looks&quot;.

 

Too bad this thing isn't recyclable

 

Pros

• Crazy looking, will get people's attention
• Fast shipping of the product
• Good selection of designs to choose from

Cons

• Overheating worries
• Blocks ports you'll want to use
• Can't take the battery out without removing it
• Furry bits get stuck in optical drive when closing it
• Smelled a little rubbery and funky

Where to Buy:

You can buy a fur cover from Lapstyle for $24.99 here: http://www.lapstyle.com/laptop-covers-products.htm

 

 

 

LOL. It definitely would get some looks. Maybe even spark up some conversations for those looking for attention.

I wonder if the designers know much about laptops, though. No access to ports and the shag gets in the way of the optical drive. Not to mention the vent blockage.

But at least it got to you quickly...

 

i don't know if i should make fun of you or just keep laughing. do you think this will attract girls attention? or just old women from the 70's who digg shag?

 

That's such an awful idea! What were they thinking?! Besides just blocking your vent ports, the fur will get sucked into fans and into drive bays!

My favorite part is their rigorous 24-hour testing. What does that even mean? That it takes more than 24 hours for your laptop to turn to a lump of molten slag and burn down your house? I guess they found that 24 hours is the longest anyone can go before coming to their senses and tearing the thing off.

BTW- I think the pic of it in the trashcan should be the official image for that product.

EDIT:
http://lapstyle.com/laptop-covers-products.htm
Find out more at their official site! As of 12/23 it's got a lovely empty 'INSERT ADS HERE' frame!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu49Avylbw0
The official commerical which was on actual television. Oh. My. God.

And from their news page - "12/13/06 Lpastyle is intredused to the europian market"

 

There was no mention of getting girls' attention. But this would no doubt get attention (be it from old or young, male or female).

 

just a joke. i don't know if i would want the attention from having this. it could be negative attention. you could be the laughingstock @ starbucks.

 

Interesting review Andrew. You were pretty brave putting on those adhesive Velcro strips. I never would have done it.

BTW you need to clean off your screen.
Tim

 

I can't believe you actually bought it, man. But nice to know it confirms every downside I thought about it, firstly the heat buildup! And then you can't access any ports behind.

BTW, love that pic of it in the bin. Since it's winter, why not use it in the fireplace? I wonder how long it takes to burn?

 

Is it soft enough to be used as a pillow when your battery dies on long trips?

 

I think the names of the covers themselves are hilarious: "Deadly Pink," "Triple Panic," "Dare Devil," but best of all, "Fire Starter." Yeah, albeit a layer of shag carpet will ignite quite the inferno!

 

Wow, I didn't even see that, they misspelled their own name, single handedly offended the entire continent of Europe (yes, capitalized and spelt with two "e"s) and in a 7 word sentence only got 4 words right.

 

It had a weird rubbery smell, I'm a little afraid of the toxicity level of this product. As in, it would smell awful if burned and at the worst could put a hole in the ozone layer above you if burned it.

 

Wow, that's a really special and completely idiotic product. If they had spent a little more time on it, they could have had something viable.

 

Wow - this thing was a bad idea from the start. I only thought the problems would lie with the heat/cooling issues, but I totally forgot about the ports. It should have come in two pieces so the back of the laptop would actually be accessible. Also, I really don't think the bottom of the laptop needs to be covered in all fur - they could just cut out the whole bottom middle so the fans could be able to draw air.

I think the one named "Fire Starter" is hilarious. Very appropriate, that's for sure.

 

wow..that is one of the oddest things i have ever seen...kinda reminds me of the cookie monster!

 

OMG! I actually wanted to review this (after the fate of the mouse I inquired about is determined) but you beat me to it! I actually *like* Fire Starter, but just about everyone I know will agree that my taste is ehh one of a kind, let's just say!

I would've cut it up though. Having carpeted my whole living room wall to wall with this stuff (faux fur that is, albeit in green, which these guys don't have), I can tell you that regular scissors definitely won't cut, but I've fancy sewing scissors that cut it like butter. Then again, I could've just used some of my gigantic scraps, but it wouldn't be as exciting. Green belongs on the floor, just like grass; fire starter belongs on the laptop like firewood!

Malia

 

Okay, I'm going to try very hard to come up with some sort of positive use for this product (because I'm bored and there's no football for another 20 minutes). So anyway, here are some thoughts.

What if you cut it in half and just attached one half to your laptop's LCD (preferrably the back side)? That wouldn't block any ports or vents, LCDs don't heat up that much, and you'd still get something of the intended look, especially when your laptop is closed.

Is it thick enough to have protective properties? Maybe it can be used like one of those laptop "body gloves" when your laptop is turned off?

Could it be used to clean your laptop? Maybe it can remove fingerprints from certain laptops with glossy cases?

 

Can't use it to clean. Faux fur is very much synthetic = lotsa static electricity = sticks to things like crazy. I don't think it would be effective if static cling wasn't a problem, either, because the fibers are fairly large and hard.

Cutting it up is an option. However, if you're going through the trouble of cutting things up anyway, might as well just buy faux fur and make it yourself for cheaper. 1 yard of this stuff costs $5-10 retail. Actually, this gives me the idea of getting a faux fur boa and making a lid cover out of that. More interesting to make and much fluffier. My laptop will look like it's going to Mardi Gras!

Malia

 

Hilarious!!

I would have to rule it out because it would do nothing but entice my cats to sleep on my laptop.

I predict this will show up in some hollywood flick soon - Austin Powers 8 perhaps {or whatever # they are up to now}.

Thanks for the quality laugh!

 

The picture in the bin had me doubled over laughing. I second the call for it to be the official picture

 

Thank you for recommending LaptopDesignUSA.com as a alternative to this product. We appreciate the support.

 

hah thats hilarious...is it supposed to look like that book from harry potter i wonder