Microsoft helps notebook owners keep their cool

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 11 March 2009 06:19

Your IT - Home IT

Notebooks that run too hot to be comfortable on your lap have become commonplace. Now even Microsoft's doing something about it.

It's been a while since we last saw reports of hot-running notebooks causing damage to their owners' delicate parts, but a goodly proportion of such devices run warmer than you'd like.

Even netbooks can be guilty of this charge: one reviewer recently described the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 as "toasty warm".

The idea of using a cooling platform isn't new, but those I've seen have been on the ugly side and designed more for use on a desk than on the lap. They've also come from minor brands with relatively limited distribution.

Now Microsoft's getting in on the act with the $US29.95 Notebook Cooling Base that's "contoured to rest on both desks and users’ laps, providing a comfortable typing angle" according to company officials.

The underside of the base is contoured for lap comfort, or you can flip down a 'leg' for desktop use.

Like similar devices, the Notebook Cooling Base features a USB-powered fan to help carry heat away from the notebook.

It's available in black or white, and measures 290mm square and 30mm thick. Microsoft describes the Notebook Cooling Base as 'lightweight' but the exact weight is not mentioned in the specifications.

In related news, Microsoft also announced a new range of colours for its mobile-oriented $US49.95/$A99.95 Arc Mouse: white, purple, green and blue. Oh, sorry, that's frost white, eggplant purple, deep olive green and marine blue.