Akasa Libra notebook cooler review

Full Review

The most popular choice of notebook is the 15.4-inch machine and makes up close to 70% of the market. It's a great compromise between size and portability and certainly makes sense if you're after a desktop replacement machine.

Running a notebook for any length of time will soon have it getting warm to the touch, so if you have a large machine, or an older one that tends to get hot rather quickly, one way of cooling it down and therefore prolonging its life is to slip a notebook cooler underneath.

This solution from Akasa will easily house that 15.4-inch machine, as well as larger models if you have one. It's made from aluminium, so it weighs less than 1kg, so if you wanted to you could carry it around with you.

The cooler is designed on a slight incline, which makes it more ergonomic to use, as the keyboard is lower and the screen higher than it would be simply propped on a table. The top of the unit has small rubber traction pads to stop your notebook from moving about.

The stand is fitted with two small fans that pull cool air in from beneath it and blows it against the base of your notebook. It's powered using one of your notebook's USB ports but with a second port of its own, it also doubles as a mini-hub.

We found the fans ran almost silently and they do work, keeping our ageing Acer TravelMate notebook cooler than it previously had been.

Verdict

The Akasa Libra Notebook Cooler is a simple but effective solution that will certainly keep your notebook cooler than it currently is. The design is a little utilitarian but it's more than acceptable for the office or a student's bedroom.

• Comment on this story for your chance to win a TomTom XL Live IQ Routes Europe