Features:
"Aerogel is the lightest solid material known - only three times the density of air - and has tremendous insulating capability. Discovered in the 1930s by a Stanford University researcher, it's the lightest solid known. A block the size of a human weighs less than a pound, but is able to support the weight of a subcompact car or about half a ton." -NASA

Aerogel is quite a remarkable invention that has been widely used for everything from NASA projects to oil mining. Although there are a lot of uses for it, it's primary use is as a lightweight insulator. Aerogel is a gel, however it has slightly different properties than we commonly associate with gel. In Aerogel, the liquid component of the gel is actually replaced with a gas component, thus making it lighter in weight. To the touch, it feels a lot like expanded styrofoam. In order to make it a little more consumer friendly, Aspen has taken the Aerogel technology to the next level. By using a patented nanotechnology process, they are able to convert the Aerogel into a more practical and usable blanket-like material; the same material used on the products we're looking at here today from LapLogic.

The Aerogel Extreme lap desks come in two models; the G800 and the W800 (The W denoting the "wide" version with the mouse pad/work surface off to the side). As you can see in the pictures below, both are nearly identical looking units when it comes right down to it. The side that faces down on your lap has two padded rests made of the Aerogel and a middle material section. There's a small see-through pouch on this middle section, handy for keeping CDs or other items. The surface that your laptop sits on while in your lap is entirely covered in the Aerogel insulation with three "veins" running across the middle. These "veins" keep your laptop elevated to prevent the fans on the bottom from becoming smothered during operation. Allowing this airflow beneath the laptop will keep it properly cooled while still providing lots of contact with the Aerogel. This provides not only additional cooling to the laptop but also helps to insulate your lap from the sometimes scorching heat that radiates from it. Since the Aerogel insulation has a very rubber-like feel to it, the Lapdesk will not slide around on your lap and it will also be held very securely as well.

As mentioned before, the W800 adds an 8x10" mouse pad at one side of the lap desk. Since there is no "right way" to position the W800, you can have it so this pad is at either side of you to accommodate both left and right handed users. Keep in mind this doesn't have to be a mouse pad either, you can also use it to simply add a small work space beside your laptop as well.