Computing outside can be a real pain in the thumb drive. The ambient light blaring up against that LCD screen can make it darn hard to see. Sure, you can try using a bellows, or even some sort of screen shade, but as the light shifts throughout the day, sooner or later you’re going to find yourself playing cat and mouse trying to see, unless you bury your head inside the bellows and then it’s darn near impossible to read, much less type like that.

But if you like doing your business outside and don’t want to lug a tent around with you, the LapDome may be an ideal solution as it gives your laptop a literal home to live in. In fact, I shouldn’t have used the term tent, because that’ what the Lapdome reminds me of. But it’s more than that, because it’s also a bag that collapses around your laptop. When in use, simply release the Velcro and the LapDome pops up around your laptop for shade that’s darn near 360 degrees around. And an additional case that clips onto the Lapdome provides protection for your AC adapter, CDs, or even files. It’s an ideal system for someone who spends a lot of time outdoors but still needs to be connected online.

The Lapdome is made of padded high quality lightweight material that is also lined with what appears to be steel guage strips that can cause the bag to collapse into a handy bag when traveling and the “pop” into it’s dome shape once the Velcro straps have been released. It takes a minute to get the design, but it becomes quickly apparent that the black nylon sheet affixed to the inside is designed to prevent ambient light from reflecting into the the dome and onto the screen. It actually “hovers” between the keyboard and the screen and is never in the way, doing its job while you do yours.

It’s great for laptops, portable DVD players or even television sets. And at a cost of around $80, it’s very competitive with an average laptop bag that it replaces that can’t provide the light protection the LapDome does. The Lapdome does require some out of the box thinking because it does look like something you’d take camping so your pet can have some place to live. But so what? The point is that with this padded tent of a carrying case, your PC has a home away from home that keeps the sun outside so you can view your work “inside.” And one cool feature is that corporate logos can be custom sown on all three sides for advertisement or synergy.

Comes in personal rambler, business, collapsible and junior models.

I place this in the “must have” column for anyone who needs to do computing in the outdoors.

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