March Tech Review - eNook

I found this product in PC Magazine's December 2005 issue on "What's New for 2006." I thought it was a cool concept and design and wanted to review it this month.

Here's some of the copy from the advertising piece on eNook:

"A Gas Station for your Gadgets and a Work Space for You - it charges, it stores and it fits where you don't have a lot of room. It's called eNook, and it's a very multi-talented workspace. eNook has channels for you to plug in and charge all of your electronic gadgetry, like your laptop, cell phones, PDAs and digital cameras. Flip it up to store your laptop and lock it out of sight. Or flip it down and you have a handy desk."

That about says it all... except for the benefits of standing up while you work. I know two people who use this approach to managing their work day. I personally don't have a stand up desk, but when I have to make an important phone call, I stand up. When I want to convey energy and excitement, I stand up and when I want to put my best foot forward (the left one), I stand up.

According to the website, www.standupdesks.com (seriously), here are 3 good reasons to move to a stand up desk:

1. Working at a stand up desk brings immediate relief to lower back pain sufferers.

2. Stand up desks pay for themselves quickly with both increased and improved productivity.

3. Stand up desks will leave you far less fatigued at the end of the day as a result of improved circulation and exercise.

Beyond the benefits of standing up, this is a great product for managing your technology. As much as convergence is taking place with the devices we carry around to sell and do business, I bet most of us still have at least three pieces of technology (be it a mobile phone, smart phone, PDA, laptop, digital camera or MP3.) That's a lot of cords and a lot of recharging going on.

With the eNook you can manage all of your devices in one stable location - while you work. One of the best features of this product is that you can fold it up and lock it shut. If you have little ones running around at home (or the home office), or teenagers grabbing your charging cables for their iPod, this security feature of folding and locking is awesome.

The outer features can be customized with different laminates and trim to match your decor. Check it out at www.anthro.com/enook

TK