I use it to rest and use a PDA (personal digital assistant)

My dealer told me it was meant to be used like a small table, a place to set
your fries, sandwich, etc.  BTW, the I found the little cubby hole right in
front of the arm rest a great spot to put a bag of chips while on a long
trip.

I've found every storage compartment to be 1/2" too small
for what I intended to use it for!  Glove box is especially
irksome!  If you fill it it won't close.  Wonder what the
hidden compartment is for - a big pocket knife?  Trying to
find a place to put a 12 CD changer --- under seat looked
promising cept for the heat duct and what looks like a huge
pressure switch on both sides!  My old '90 4Rnr had a
compartment on either side of the back (just forward of the
tail lights) that worked great form the changer and small
items like PDAs and digital cameras you wanted handy but out
of sight.

Toyota calls it a convenience tray!  Actually, it will hold perfectly
the giant insulated mug they sell at 7-11 as long as you don't turn
sharply but it's a great place for it on a long, straight, trip.

Tom