Everyone who's ever used a notebook has to know that after a few hours of usage, the bottom part becomes hot and the notebook fan will increase its RPM so that it can exhaust the hot air from inside the device. This is why some manufacturers have developed the so called “notebook cooling pads” or “notebook fans”. These come in the form of a plastic board on which the notebook sits upon. One or more fans will spread cool air on the bottom of the laptop so it maintains a cool exterior.

Some of these devices are made by ghost companies (also known as no-name companies) and one of them is the USB Notebook Cooling Pad + 3-Port Hub + 2.5-inch HDD, presented by Brando. Long name, I know, but some of the aforementioned manufacturers don't really “christen” their products with a model name, they just like making up the names by attaching all of a device's characteristics.

So what we have here is a notebook cooler with a few extras on the side. First of all, it can power itself by using the AC adapter or an USB port when the laptop's in battery mode. I don't recommend doing this, since it will drain your battery faster than you are used to.

The last two interesting features are the 3 port USB hub and the integrated SATA docking station. The only problem is that all the 3 ports and the SATA connection use the same USB connection to the laptop. Sharing a single USB connection among 4 possible devices isn't such a great idea, since it will severely degrade performance.

The SATA docking station is a good feature, but users need to be careful when moving their laptops, since the HDD will stick out the back of the notebook pad and by not paying attention, some might damage it by smashing it to the desk.

With a $33 price tag and USB cables included, the cooling pad might prove a good choice for some users, especially those who simply can't live without their multi-function devices.


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