Belkin F5L001 Cooling Stand
Reviewed by Mike Hubbartt, Copyright ©2007
$29 USD Requirements: A laptop |
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Strengths: solid, good for laps or desks, powered by USB port. Weaknesses: none found. |
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How many writers use laptops? This one does, and yes, I know the MacBook (and MacBook Pro) get warm. Not as warm as a Dell laptop, but still quite warm. And that unnecessary heat is a distraction when writing, so what can you do? Try Belkin’s new laptop cooling stand – the F5L001. This stand isn’t merely functional; it actually looks good.
First impression of the F5L001: solid. It looks and feels sturdy. And the stand is slightly concave, so heat is channeled up and away from either side of the laptop. To test, I ran my laptop for three hours and the heat was never a bother. In addition to using this unit on your lap, the door on the bottom of the stand can raise the laptop for use on a desk.
And the fan is quiet – not whisper quiet, but less noisy than my iMac. The fan is powered by a USB port, which I prefer over bulky (and heavy) batteries or external power supplies. The unit is small, should fit within your laptop carrying case, and has a compartment to store the USB power cable when not in use. Only one color right now (white), but it looks nice when paired with any MacBook.
Conclusion
I like the F5L001. It feels sturdy, the shape of the stand allows airflow to move heat away from the laptop, and I prefer to use a USB port for power than batteries or an external power cord. The $29 price tag is reasonable, and while it may not prevent a Dell laptop from bursting into flames, I highly recommend it for Mac or less flammable PC laptops.
