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Beating
Laptop Heat... With a Podium Posted
7/15/03 by Bettay
Morgan,
roving editor for Bare
Feats Having my
PowerBook G4 Titanium heat up my lap on a 32 degree
frosty morning in Julian, California, is nice, but
only to a point. And I hate it when the fan kicks
in at full tilt. Is there a solution?
Yes. The solution I
found for cooling my TiBook is the RoadTools
Podium CoolPad. The concept is simple. Creating an
airspace under the laptop allows heat to
dissipate. Is it effective?
I found that my PowerBook's fan did not come on
nearly as often or ran at only stage one. I didn't
have to put pot holders on my lap. My wrists and
neck didn't get as tired or strained because the
ergonomics of the Podium gave me the same angle for
my keyboard and screen as my desktop Power
Mac. The black
trapezoid-shaped base pivots, allowing me to spin
my computer up to 360 degrees to show clients their
new web designs, ads, business cards,
etc. On my trip to
California recently, I gave the RoadTools
Traveler CoolPad a test run. It is smaller and the
risers are not as high. The Traveler fit easily
into the sleeve of my Tumi
Wheel-A-Way bag. While seated on the plane, I was
able to spin my laptop to show Rob-Art what I was
working on without having to lift my Titatium
physically. The rubber "feet" gave me enough
resistance to prevent movement when I was typing.
Also, when the flight got a little bumpy, the
rubber feet on the bottom of the Traveler and the
ones touching my laptop kept it solidly secure on
the little airline table top… no slipping like
on my last trip. When using the
Traveler on my lap, it did not seem to keep my
laptop as cool as the larger size Podium. But I
like the smallness when I'm in cramped quarters or
when using my laptop to demo a web site to a
client. Because the cost is so small, I would still
suggest getting both models… one to travel
with and one for my desk in the Bare Feats
lab. The larger Podium
CoolPad has stackable risers that allow me adjust
the keyboard incline by 1/2" increments. The risers
can be removed completely so that I can easily stow
it away if I do take it on a trip. Which Podium
CoolPad Should I Choose? If you use your
laptop most often at your desk I suggest the
adjustable-tilt Podium Coolpad. If you travel a
lot, maybe the smaller Traveler CoolPad would meet
your need. I like having both. RoadTools
offers a bundle deal, the Podium for your desk and
the Traveler for the road. If you purchase both,
you will save $10. The CoolPads come in black and
white. They are guaranteed for life and
manufactured in New Hampshire. Just another great
gift item for those hard to please computer
buddies. Prices for the
CoolPads Traveler
CoolPad $19.95 3-Pack
of Traveler CoolPads $49.95 Podium
CoolPad $29.95 2-Pack
of Podium CoolPads $49.95 Podium +
Traveler CoolPad Bundle $39.95 Where to
Buy? They are
available practically at many fine resellers
including the Apple Retail Store, CompUSA, Best
Buy, Circuit City, and Staples. If you prefer to
order online, you can order dirct from
RoadTools.
Check also with Other
World Computing. Be sure to let
them know you heard about it on
BareFeats.com BETTAY's
INDEX
of ARTICLES SPEED
TEST RESULTS
from Bare Feats (by CATEGORY) HOT
SPEED DEALS Wiebetech
has FireWire 800 PCI cards for under $50.
