MANILA - The creator of the "Laptop Burka" - a sheet that protects laptops from glare - has "pulled the plug" on the product after it received bad reviews all over the internet.

"We pulled the plug on the Laptop Burka. The web site is down. There was murder in the press! Maybe some day, we will all get a tool that won't be laughed at," said Marc Johnson, owner of Laptop Burka Inc., in an e-mail to abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak.

As of press time, however, the Laptop Burka website is still up and running.

Extolling the product's features, the Laptop Burka website says it is convenient, portable, breathable, and doubles as walking (or sitting) billboard spaces for advertisers.

The $16.95 (about P800) contraption, made of lightweight blue fabric that is meant to be draped over one's head like a tent, was hailed by many gadget reviewers as "one of the most useless products ever."

Charlie Sorrell of Wired.com wrote in his review on the Laptop Burka: "Not only is the name in very questionable taste, but the product itself seems useless to anyone with access to a laundry closet."

The Burka, named after the traditional Islamic garment, is meant to protect laptop users from glare and the unwanted stares of strangers when using their computer outdoors.

It also has a white-colored version that reflects light called the "Geek Sheet" - which Johnson said is a "more palatable term for North American users." Patents are reportedly pending.

However, Ray Basile of iPhonesavior.com was not impressed with both products. "The reflective white surface and lighter weight fabric will easily transform you into the ideal porch ghost, capable of scaring the bejesus out of trick-or-treaters without giving up quality time on Twitter," the post goes.

"The highly functional Laptop Burka is as real as a heart attack, offering fashionable humiliation to MacBook zombies of all ages," Basile adds.

The joke that turned into a business

While many online reviewers snigger at the Laptop Burka's idea as a joke, Johnson initially meant it that way.

Johnson, an electrician from Seattle, explained in an e-mail to abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak that the name "Laptop Burka" was a joke that he and his wife laughed over for days.

"We never really intended to sell the computer shade, but as other computer users ask[ed] to have one, we posted a silly Seattle Craigslist ad as a joke and people started asking for them. That was the problem, it meant we had to make them," he said.

The product came about one weekend when he got frustrated with his laptop's anti-glare filter and half-shell computer shade and used a towel over his head, then a blanket later on.

With the product's unusual name and features, the Laptop Burka got a free ride in the press shortly after the internet ad was posted.

"No money in the world could buy a large corporation the press we have received! Our website traffic is amazing! We are actually considering selling ad space on our website," he said.

Issues

Though the product is named after Islamic dress and has been alleged by reviewers to make users "feel like pretty Arabic women", Johnson said he "personally do[es] not support the idea of any woman being forced to wear a Burqa."

"But at the same time, I respect the culture and am not trying to tell others how to live their lives. We just wanted to use a name that would bring conversation up not only to the product but to many other issues and it worked," he said, referring to U.S. - Middle East issues.

Prior to saying that he was pulling the plug on his Laptop Burka product line, Johnson said he was going to sell Geek Sheets in patterns and corporate advertising.

They were also planning to increase manufacturing to more than 500 units at a time, in time for the holiday season.

As for whether the Laptop Burka has been ringing up his cash register, Johnson said: "I can tell you this, Geek Sheet has far exceeded [our] wildest dreams and we have been followed by almost every major tech magazine on the web. I seem to be spending a lot of time at the shipping department."

Hecklers and catty reviewers can say what they want about the "Laptop Burka", but at least Johnson got a kick out of it. Report by Kristine Servando, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak. Photo courtesy of Marc Johnson.