Cooling stand saves laptops and laps

At some point in the recent past, some manufacturers stopped calling laptop computers "laptops" and, instead, started calling them "portable computers" or "desktop replacements."

(I think this is about the same time fast-food restaurants started calling milkshakes "shakes" because they no longer contained milk. But I digress.)

I am not sure who was the first to do it, but I noticed it recently by Apple and a few other manufacturers, because laptops started running so hot that people were complaining of the heat (and even burns) on their legs.

Apple has revised its user manuals for the MacBook Pro to advise against using it on your lap or any "uneven surface." Dell and a few other manufacturers are doing the same.

It's not only heat from the batteries, although that is substantial in some models, but also the cooling. Some laptops have fans or vents on the bottom of the computer and little plastic or rubber feet that hold the computer just above the surface of a desk or table to provide airflow. If your thigh or clothing (or worse, carpet or a bed) blocks the fans or the vents, you're likely to end up with an overheated or burned-out computer.

The other issue is processor power: As laptops become more powerful, they are also running hotter.

Enter the laptop cooling stand.

Many manufacturers are making cooling pads that rest under a laptop and either blow cool air into the vents or at least ensure that the laptop is resting on a totally flat surface.

I was using one of these until I started using a large laptop with a very large screen. It actually weighs too much to have on my lap for a long period.

Instead, I turned to a new aluminum laptop stand from LapWorks. I had never thought to put my laptop on a stand, but I soon found it was not only ergonomically better but made lots of sense, too. I used to connect my laptop to a docking station and then use an external keyboard and flat-screen monitor.

With my new laptop, which has a 15.5-inch screen, I am basically carrying around the LCD all the time. Instead, I can place the unit in the lightweight but strong stand, and I have the screen at eye level.

I never could get used to typing with it in the stand (though some people do), so I added a USB keyboard and mouse and I was off and running. It didn't take more than a few seconds to get it in the stand and the effort was well worth it.