TECH SPOTLIGHT : When laptop turns up heat, this stand maintains its cool
Posted on Monday, April 28, 2008
This could be a big year for laptops. It’s predicted that the laptop could top desktop computers in U. S. yearly sales for 2008. The laptop has beaten the desktop in monthly sales now and again, but not in yearly sales. Laptops sales have grown steadily as prices have dropped, while desktop sales have been on the decline.
There’s no doubt laptops are popular. Why not ? They offer all you need for computing in one convenient package that can be taken anywhere.
The problem with some laptops, including mine, is heat. All that circuitry in a small space generates a lot of heat. These computers are designed to disperse the heat enough to keep them from melting their own innards. But they still get hot, and some can overheat to the point of crashing or automatically shutting down to avoid frying themselves. They also can be murder on your lap.
LapWorks has designed a stand that pulls heat away from the computer and cools it down from the outside, making it safer for your computer. The stand comes in two models, the Attache and the Envoy. The only difference between the two is that the Attache has an aluminum faceplate that is designed to work like a heat sink, pulling heat from the bottom of the computer and dispersing it. This happened to be the model I used.
The key to the Attache’s design lies in the center of the stand. Two mesh circles mark the spots of the two fans that cool the underside of the laptop. The fans are powered by the computer’s USB port and is connected to the computer using a cord that’s included.
The stand is designed to lift the back of the laptop slightly both to help cool the underside, where most laptops send out the heat, and to make typing more comfortable. A foot on the bottom of the stand can be pulled out by pushing a button on the side. The foot can be set to four different elevations. Tabs on the bottom front of the stand help hold the laptop in place.
There’s a nice little bonus feature to the Attache. Since it takes up a USB port on the computer, they’re kind enough to replace that with a 4-port USB hub. The four ports cover the back left corner of the stand.
I plugged the device into the USB port on my computer and flipped the power switch. As soon as it was plugged in, a blue LED light lit up on the left. OK, so it had power. But I didn’t hear the fans come on or run.
It turns out, they were on. The fans run so quietly I couldn’t hear them start or run. I had to put my hand over them to ensure they were running. I put the laptop down, and I could feel a slight breeze coming out under the left and right sides of the computer.
Admittedly, the computer did seem a bit cooler after sitting on the Attache for several minutes. I’m used to my computer getting warm on the left side, where the processor is located. In fact, it gets so warm I usually use a laptop desk to keep the computer from burning my legs. That side definitely felt cooler to the touch on the Attache, even after using the computer for hours. That’s with setting it on a table and using it on my lap desk.
Feeling is one thing, but I wanted real proof this gizmo was doing its job. So I left my computer sitting on my lap desk alone. After 10 minutes, I checked the temperature on the left side, where the processor is located. On top and at the front, I recorded about 80 degrees with a digital thermometer. On top near the back, it was 86 degrees.
The bottom, however, is where the heat usually is. On the back left, it was a whopping 90 degrees. That’s 90 degrees that’s usually sitting on my lap. Now you know why I have to use a lap desk.
I then put the computer on the LapWorks Attache and set both on the same lap desk. Again, I waited 10 minutes.
On top, the temperature dropped 2 degrees. That’s not bad for 10 minutes, especially since the top releases heat easier. Then I checked the bottom. It had dropped from 90 degrees to just under 85 in that 10 minutes. That impressed me. After 20 minutes, the temperature was down to 80 degrees on the bottom. After several hours of computer use the bottom was up to 87 degrees, which was still cooler than when it was sitting idle directly on the desk.
There’s no doubt the Attache does its job. My only complaint about the device is the tabs that pop up on the front to hold the laptop in place. I have a thin laptop, so these tabs stick up three-quarters of an inch above the computer. As a result, my arms frequently brushed them as I typed, making it a bit uncomfortable.
While the tabs brought slight discomfort to my arms, the rest of the Attache certainly gave comfort to my lap, and peace of mind that my computer isn’t overheating. This product does a good job of ensuring that the only thing overheating is this year’s sales of the laptops — and not the computers themselves. Melissa L. Jones can be reached via e-mail at mljones 72 @mac. com.
Where it’s @ LapWorks Attache and Envoy laptop cooling stands require a USB port on a laptop computer. The Attache retails for $ 69. 95. The Envoy retails for $ 49. 95. More information is available at www. laptopdesk. net / stands. html.
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