Now, this isn’t your typical Teens in Tech review where we talk about a new web application, or a piece of hardware. This review, rather, is of a desk. Yes! A desk. But this isn’t just any piece of plywood and sticks — it’s the GeekDesk Mini.

Now I know what you’re thinking — GeekDesk? Really? That’s a name of a desk? And obviously, the answer is yes, hence the name of this review. But this desk is more than just a your typical table, I’ve learned over the last few weeks. In fact, over the time that I’ve been using it, the GeekDesk Mini has changed my work habits, and for this I would like to thank the good folks over at SimpleGeo for introducing me to this fantastic GeekDesk in their San Francisco office.

Us techies spend a lot of time in front of a computer: slouching in front of a an illuminating monitor. I’ve experienced, first hand, that the side effects of staring at a computer monitor for ten hours a day isn’t anything to be excited about. But what if you could combine a healthy lifestyle, with your geekiness?

That’s exactly what the GeekDesk Mini did for me. I knew I needed to stay healthy while being in front of a computer for numerous hours every day, but I didn’t know how. I tried out a bouncy ball to improve my posture like one of those that Leo Laporte uses, and that didn’t do much good, since it was far lower than my desk. So, I needed to find the right solution.

Fortunately, I’ve found the GeekDesk Mini.

You may look at the GeekDesk Mini and just think it’s just a piece of finely furnished wood mounted on some metal cross-bars. Sure, that’s part of it at least. It may not be terribly visible but there is a handy electric motor mounted on the right side, allowing the desk to extend upwards or down. That’s why the GeekDesk Mini is unique and my perfect solution for many health related issues.

What I realized is that I needed to be doing something active while working and standing up did just the trick. I have back problems dating back to my days as a gymnast (long story), and sitting in a chair for ten hours a day isn’t such a good idea for me. My doctor recommended I use one of those bouncy balls people use at the gym or for yoga, and that didn’t work out. Then I tried using a standing desk over at SimpleGeo one afternoon, and I knew I needed to get my paws on one.

The GeekDesk comes in two sizes — a mini version, like the one I have, and a larger version, which is called the GeekDesk Original.

When I first received the desk, I was expecting a tedious, odyssey of a setup
process requiring various people. It ended up taking around ten minutes, and maybe some help from my dad to lift up the desk in the end. There aren’t a lot of screws and bolts that need installing: it’s more of just putting everything in place. I was very impressed with how little time it took to get the GeekDesk up and running.

After actually getting the GeekDesk into its place, it was time to plug everything in. Thankfully, the GeekDesk comes with two holes to sneak of all of your cables down and plug into your power source, which my previous desk didn’t have.

After getting everything set up, I was smooth sailing from that point on. For the days I only have one class (oh the wonders of college), I would come home from class, setup my desk in the standing position, and spend the morning working while on my feet. I would then go grab some food, and come back to sit down for a some time, then go back a to standing up again, and then during the night time after going to the gym or running some errands, I would sit.

I noticed that after using this routine in different orders, I felt more energetic throughout the day, since I wasn’t slouching in a chair all morning long.

There are two things that I would change about the GeekDesk, though. First, I would love to see a better cable management solution down the legs of the desk. Also, it would be really cool to have a power strip already built into one of the legs, since if you keep your power strip on the floor, and you raise your desk, and your cables aren’t long enough, the power strip ends up dragging along with the rest of the desk. If a power strip was already built-in, you could just plug everything in, tighten up your cable mess using the cable organizer, and you’re done.

Another big factor for the decision of whether or to buy something for the average consumer is the price. The GeekDesk starts at $749 for the mini version. Now that’s a lot of dollars for a desk, but at the same time, it’s an investment for your health, so I could potentially see people dishing out almost 800 bucks for the desk.

I can’t say enough about how much I recommend the GeekDesk for anyone who spends countless hours in front of a computer. I’d also like to thank Donovan McNutt from GeekDesk for working with me over the last few months to make this all happen.