Couchmaster CYBOT Review

There are a few options when it comes to “things that hold a laptop”, whether it’s a table, the floor or your own lap. Luckily, there’s also the Couchmaster line of lapboards, which sit above your lap.

In the case of the Couchmaster CYBOT, the bamboo board sits on top of two rectangular cushions covered in Kevlar. The idea is that you put the cushions on either side of your person whilst sitting on the couch or sofa - whichever word you prefer to call it - and place the laptop or netbook on it the board which straddles it.

The board has a ventilation grille on the left which you (hopefully) place your laptop fans over, and it’s quite large so distributes a lot of the heat nicely. On the right is a large mouse mat and a slot to stand your tablet or phone. The tablet slot even has a hole in it, so you can plug it in if the tablet charges from beneath.

The CYBOT also has two pouches for the laptop power supply or accessories, and a detachable mouse pocket. I honestly haven’t gotten much use out of them, but that’s due to how I store the lapboard when not in use - not with items in the pockets.

Using the board is painless, and it assembles easily. It doesn’t clip onto the cushions, so you’re free to balance it however you like, though when it’s balanced properly it feels nice and sturdy. Of course, as it is three large parts it is cumbersome to get up if you have to answer the door in a hurry…

Where the board meets the cushions (ideally) it slopes up into two wrist rests. As a result I was always comfortable while using the CYBOT for work or gaming. I’ve never had much use for the tablet slot, but your mileage will vary depending on how often you use your tablet. I mainly use mine for the occasional game and for reading, so it’s not really required for an extended work or game session.

The mouse mat was loose in the box, and had an adhesive underneath, so it’s stuck on there very well. The material that the top is covered in is easy on the mouse, it glides smoothly and has enough room to give you lots of motion.

Before the lapboard I was just using my lap for the laptop, which obviously made gaming tricky as I’d have to angle things away from the hot areas. The Couchmaster CYBOT means a cool lap and a laptop with better heat distribution. Just mind out for the colour, as the Kevlar is “military sports” camouflage and you might misplace it.