We were all set to rip on this steering wheel-mounted laptop desk when we discovered that Amazon's own users had already done it for us. The reasons why driving and blogging don't mix below.
The Laptop Steering Wheel Desk retails for just $24.95 and is described thusly:
Attaches to your steering wheel for easy access to a writing and drink storage surface. The Go Office Wheel Mate Steering Wheel Desk is flat for writing and perfect for lunch or a snack. This Go Office Wheel Mate Steering Wheel Desk stores neatly in your car when used with the larger Auto Exec Laptop Car Desk. For safety reasons, never use this product while driving. Easily convert your car into your personal automobile office with the Wheel Mate car desk by MobileOffice.
Despite the warnings, Amazon's users have collectively come to the conclusion that the desk's use while driving is inevitable, uploading pictures of crashes to the products galleries and leaving spoof reviews, the best of which are excerpted below:
This has been a total lifesaver. It allows me to prop my sheet music against the wheel, allowing me to play the guitar with both hands while driving.
The only reason i gave it 3 stars is because when i, like, turn my turning wheel to get on the freeway everything falls off to my feet and i have to take my finger off the wheel to gather everything up and peoples are like honking at me and stuff and im all like "shut up cant you see im picking this stuff off my floor like so much candy"
I'm writing this review on my laptop while doing 65mph on the freeway! This thing is awesome! For our aniversary I bought extra life insurance in case anything should happen to me, then my wife thanked me by buying this little gem. Now I can eat, blog, and drive all at the same...YEEEEEAAAAAUUUUUGGGGHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you think this is only a life saver, you're wrong. It saves lives plus allows you to handle more activities! Not only can you drive, eat, read, play the guitar, handle work on your lappy, it's an instant baby changing station! No more using public bathrooms where it's crowded, dirty, and stinky! Get to destination quicker by handling two, three or more activities at the same time!
If you are lucky enough to have a car where this apparatus can fit safely on the steering wheel, I hope you have a satellite internet card, because there is no way you can pick up wifi in a moving vehicle. Finally, I frankly don't see how the airbag is supposed to work without projecting your computer into your face upon collision.
But perhaps most condemning is the device's apparent lack of practicality as a stationary desk:
I'm in sales, and sepnd a lot of time driving between clients. Unfortunately it isn't the right dimensions to offer any real support. The depth of it (distance between the steering wheel and the user) only supports the back half of my computer. I use s Toshiba Tablet PC which is fairly small (12.1" screen) and it still does not provide a work surface large enough to be usable. I can see this desk being fine for popping on to eat some fast food while on the run, but nothing more.
[Amazon via The Car Connection]