Laptops (and netbooks) are ideal computing solutions for those of us on the move, and while we love taking our portable workstations along for the ride, the 'luxury' of having an appropriate surface at the ready can't be overstated. Our legs and laps might do in a jiffy, but the dangers of exposure to extended heat (lovingly called 'toasted skin syndrome') make them, at best, a short-term solution. While by no means perfect, Logitech's Speaker Lapdesk N550 model may be just the thing those with smaller machines have been looking for.

If you’re at all familiar with its bigger, bulker N700 model than you might know what to expect from this trimmed down model, although it does lose a few things in the process; size, features, and, of course, just a bit (but probably not enough)off the N700’s heftier price-tag.  The design remains relatively simple, and measures (roughly) 17” across and 10” deep, which makes it ideal for smaller laptops and netbooks, but not much else. Logitech recommends machines with 14” screens or smaller, and you won’t hear any disagreements from me. My personal laptop, a 15” Acer I always felt was a bit on the puny side, looked gargantuan when sitting on top of it, and you might as well forget about using external mice with one.

Rubber volume control buttons (up/down/mute) are located on the right-hand side, and a perfectly long (just over 12”) USB cord makes connecting it to a free USB 2.0 slot on your machine simple. Two rubber slats at the base can flip up to hold your machine in place, which is nice if you plan on making use of its slight incline tilt, which Logitech says is a full 10 degrees. While not as noticeable as the larger N700, its smaller scale makes sense given its built for smaller machines, and at just over 2 lbs. it fits rather snuggly wherever it’s placed, so you won’t have to worry about it slipping or sliding off your lap if that’s where you intend to use it most.

The bottom of the unit is covered with an extremely comfortable air-mesh fabric that has an attractive knitted look, which means you won’t have to worry about scratching gentles services and felt great on my legs. This is actually one-half of the Lapdesk’s real function, as the combo-function of comfy meshed fabric coupled with its heat-shielded casing helps shield (naturally) your real lap from excessive heat and warmth.

Unfortunately, the N550 lacks the built-in cooling fan (and fan controls, naturally) from its N700 bigger brother. So while it’ll protect your most sensitive bits from your computer’s heat, it probably won’t protect it from itself. Then again, if you’re still using a portable furnace masquerading as a laptop, then you probably have more pressing issues than anything a simple mobile table can help you with.

With the word speaker in the title, you’d better believe there’s a sound system somewhere in the Lapdesk, although you shouldn’t expect anything more than a modest improvement over whatever you’re using already. With its 2 watts of power, I was surprised to hear actual bass rumbling through its speakers (located at the top left and right corners), and the bump in volume was appreciable when I ran my music and movie collection through it. Again, it’s nothing that’ll have the neighbors calling the police, and just watch your battery power’s meter drain like sand in an hourglass; those 2 watts won’t power themselves, you know.

Smaller and less featured-packed than its pricier N7000 cousin, Logitech's Speaker Lapdesk N550 model is pretty much exactly what its name implies, as it provides protection from your laptop/netbook's heat, while slightly improving the sound output through its set of 2 watt speakers. With its smaller base and suggested screen size topping out at 14" models, those with bigger machines should probably seek their heat-protection elsewhere. Its comfortable air-mesh polyester fabric does make using one long-term a pleasant alternative to the dangers of 'toasted skin syndrome', although its still a bit expensive for what's essentially little more than a modest sound system / portable table.