The NotePal ErgoStand can be used in 5 different inclinations – there are the four slots in the base as you can see from the following picture, but you can also use it collapsed (as it is when packaged) which gives the lowest angle of about 6.5°, up to a maximum angle of 45°.
When used in it's collapsed state you do not need the additional 'props' as the rubber pads on the mesh should be more than adequate to stop any likely slippage, however when raising the stand to one of the four higher angled settings it is essential to fit the 'props'. Here you can see the stand on the lowest of the four main settings with my HP 6715b 15” laptop comfortably held in place. At this setting it is quite possible to still use the laptop's own keyboard and touchpad, at higher settings I would recommend using an external keyboard and mouse!
To the sides of the unit are two 'handles' which, along with the cable tidying clips behind the unit, allow for even better cable management – by passing cables through the 'handles' you can leave cables attached and collapse the unit without fear of trapping any – all helping to keep your desk less cluttered! Despite having available USB's on the right side of my laptop I decided to use the left side to power the NotePal ErgoStand as that meant less of the 60cm provided cable needed to be tucked away and gave me a tidier overall solution, also keeping cables clear of the optical drive.
