Comparative Study
Less is More.
[Definition of good design by architect
MiesVanDerRohe.]
The following study of the range of designs of laptop cooling stands clearly
shows that adding styling features to the design detracts from the cooling function.
The GBreeze features
perforated metal.
 
However, since the high thermal conductivity characteristic of the aluminum
is acting as a heat sink, reducing the amount of material results in a reduction
of the cooling function.
Also the shape of this design does not lend itself to convenient portability.
The KoolSink maximizes the surface area of aluminum and, in addition, the laptop
may be nested within the KoolSink thus taking up the minimum of room in a brief-case
or carry pack.
The iLap features
pads to improve comfort when using the laptop without a table-top. While the
aluminum heatsink principal emulates that of the KoolSink, the rest of the
design features render it less convenient to slip into a brief-case or laptop
carry case.
The LapTopDesk,
made of Polycarbonate plastic, and the LapWorks appear
to be a very similar design. While it's not clear which is the original, neither
are very elegant solutions and neither they nor the LapBottom,
which is made of carbon fibre, have any tilt to improve ergonomics.
LapWorks v.1.0
LapBottom
The Spartacamus
PowerBook stand is made of coated steel and tilts the laptop so the
screen is at eye-level. This, however, requires one to purchase an extra, external
keyboard. 
Spartacamus PowerBook stand
The Kamas
PowerBook Stand, (also marketed in Japan as Pawasapo)
is a complex piece of engineering to form a stainless steel lap-top computer
stand. The cost alone makes it uncompetitive it is also far from portable. Though
providing eye-level viewing of a laptop computer's screen (as their platform
is adjustable to any angle and has a space for storing the keyboard beneath),
the laptop computer, still requires an extra, external keyboard.
Moreover, it also only lets air circulate more freely under the laptop rather
than stealing heat away as the KoolSink does. Also, the Kamas PowerBook Stand
design, compared to the simple, KoolSink form, is such that it would be very
clumsy to transport and the price, US$99, makes it uncompetitive.
Kamas PowerBook Stand
The " Minus
4 deg C" Cooling Support for PowerBook G4 or iBook attempts to
solve the problem that the bottom of a Macintosh laptop gets so warm that it
is uncomfortable to place on your lap. Its finned aluminum support lifts the
rear of these Macintosh laptops by 5/8" to aid in cooling and to provide
a better typing angle. However, unlike the KoolSink, it attaches permanently
making the laptop less convenient to pack.
Minus 4 deg C
The Zerus is an electronic cooling stand made from
brushed aluminum with a pair of electric fans to dissipate heat. It is powered
by the USB port with an on/off switch. While it also raises the rear of the PowerBook
for more comfortable typing and is light and portable for travel the fact that
it houses two electric fans makes it liable to mechanical failure and adding
fans negates the basic purpose which is to avoid the use of the laptop’s
internal fan.
Zerus
The NB-600 has
three fans, is made of plastic, requires an external power source and does not
tilt the laptop.
The Podium
CoolPad and the smaller 'Traveler'
Coolpad both pivot 360 degrees. However, their appearance is not attractive
and they were actually described by CNN as looking like a child’s Lego
set. Neither the Coolpad nor the ErgoKomfort
/ ErgoComfort have any heat conduction properties, being constructed
of plastic and acrylic respectively. The latter material is highly susceptible
to damage and once again the KoolSink’s monocoque aluminum construction
is a more robust product.
Podium CoolPad
Traveler CoolPad
ErgoComfort
The Podium
CoolPad and the smaller 'Traveler'
Coolpad both pivot 360 degrees. However, their appearance is not attractive
and they were actually described by CNN as looking like a child’s Lego
set. Neither the Coolpad nor the ErgoKomfort
/ ErgoComfort have any heat conduction properties, being constructed
of plastic and acrylic respectively. The latter material is highly susceptible
to damage and once again the KoolSink’s monocoque aluminum construction
is a more robust product.
http://www.lapinator.com/lappan1.jpg
ErgoComfort
The next two products exhibit inherent failings: Tthe travelling collapsable
stands: the LapStand and
the InStand are
both extremely light tubular supports for a lap-top but neither are likely
to provide the robust, firm base needed for serious typing which the KoolSink
offers.
.  
.Lapstand.................................... InStand
The Lapinator
Plus claims to keep your lap and your laptop cool thanks to 3M's Thinsulate?
The iRac is made of solid
steel in one of three colors. Contact points are covered with rubber socks
to provide grip and protection.
 
The last group of solutions include products like Rain and Waterfall which
are not stands at all but rather soft-ware cooling solutions which claim to
decrease the CPU temperature by up to 30 degrees C while at the same time optimizing
the laptop’s CPU for a faster performance. They monitor the CPU usage & power
consumption and even sound an alarm if something abnormal occurs such as the
temperature becoming too high. So far there are no programs for the Macintosh
platform and this solution does nothing to improve ergonomic positioning of
the laptop.
In conclusion, the KoolSink is clearly the most affordable,
elegant, portable, robust, and efficient laptop cooling and tilting stand available
today. |
