Will the Chill Pak Cure Your Notebook Woes?
Matt Kelly from PodTech sits down with Dan Hugland, inventor of the Chill Pak, an ice pack that’s supposed to turn your notebook into a true “laptop” by keeping it cool. You may remember Hugland from the X Files, where he played a hacker.
Hugland says heat slows down processors, warps hard drives and contributes to recent battery issues. Users continuously demand thinner and lighter notebooks, but this all comes at a price.
He says some manufacturers have considered selling the Chill Pak, but have backed out because doing so would be admitting their products are defective.
I’m not completely sold on the idea of icing notebooks down, and if there’s truly something wrong with a notebook’s design the Chill Pak offers only a temporary fix. What do you do when you don’t have your freezer handy?
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My issue is with fan noise, not over-heating. My interest in the ice-pack is to therefore cut down on fan usage while I’m mixing audio.
I have to resort to mixing with headphones to hear hiss and detail.
Might want to do a spell check and take an editing class. The man is Dean Haglund.
My issue is with fan noise, not over-heating. My interest in the ice-pack is to therefore cut down on fan usage while I’m mixing audio.
I have to resort to mixing with headphones to hear hiss and detail.
I repair laptops in my spare time. Biggest issue as manufacturers shrink form factors is heat problems leading to eventual failures because of the way people use their laptops (on bed sheets and surfaces with no air flow, etc) and the limitations of the computer’s design (not to mention just plain crappy hardware. HP I’m talking to you). Its not surprising that products to cool down laptops have flooded the market, and I myself have rigged my own laptop cooling devices with parts i have lying around. Many of the products available are pretty much gimmicks to make a quick buck, and offer perhaps a slight cooling effect perhaps only because the laptop is now lifted off a surface and air can escape. This chill pak idea is a bit half-baked, seeing as how most laptops have air-intakes on the bottom and this would likely block any air from entering. Secondly, for anyone using the laptop for more than an hour or so at a time (most people with jobs or homework or gaming to do…) the applications of such a product seem fairly limited, especially if youre nowhere near a place to swap out the chiller for a fresh one…I know Im certainly not going to be getting up every 30-45 minutes when gaming to change my laptop’s chillpad. If my computer overheats without this, theres likely a more serious problem at hand with airflow, dust, ambient temps, or the hardware.
Icepacks are great for sore muscles and joints, because they provide temporary relief. The main limitation and downfall of this product is just that. Temporary usefulness. Create a product that perhaps draws power and uses some kind of refrigerant and maybe weve got something worthy of a laptop docking solution. This product will sell to impulse buyers who will more than likely realize the benefits arent worth the hassle. Also, where are the alleged benchmark comparisons for this?
I repair laptops in my spare time. Biggest issue as manufacturers shrink form factors is heat problems leading to eventual failures because of the way people use their laptops (on bed sheets and surfaces with no air flow, etc) and the limitations of the computer’s design (not to mention just plain crappy hardware. HP I’m talking to you). Its not surprising that products to cool down laptops have flooded the market, and I myself have rigged my own laptop cooling devices with parts i have lying around. Many of the products available are pretty much gimmicks to make a quick buck, and offer perhaps a slight cooling effect perhaps only because the laptop is now lifted off a surface and air can escape. This chill pak idea is a bit half-baked, seeing as how most laptops have air-intakes on the bottom and this would likely block any air from entering. Secondly, for anyone using the laptop for more than an hour or so at a time (most people with jobs or homework or gaming to do…) the applications of such a product seem fairly limited, especially if youre nowhere near a place to swap out the chiller for a fresh one…I know Im certainly not going to be getting up every 30-45 minutes when gaming to change my laptop’s chillpad. If my computer overheats without this, theres likely a more serious problem at hand with airflow, dust, ambient temps, or the hardware.
Icepacks are great for sore muscles and joints, because they provide temporary relief. The main limitation and downfall of this product is just that. Temporary usefulness. Create a product that perhaps draws power and uses some kind of refrigerant and maybe weve got something worthy of a laptop docking solution. This product will sell to impulse buyers who will more than likely realize the benefits arent worth the hassle. Also, where are the alleged benchmark comparisons for this?
I repair laptops in my spare time. Biggest issue as manufacturers shrink form factors is heat problems leading to eventual failures because of the way people use their laptops (on bed sheets and surfaces with no air flow, etc) and the limitations of the computer’s design (not to mention just plain crappy hardware. HP I’m talking to you). Its not surprising that products to cool down laptops have flooded the market, and I myself have rigged my own laptop cooling devices with parts i have lying around. Many of the products available are pretty much gimmicks to make a quick buck, and offer perhaps a slight cooling effect perhaps only because the laptop is now lifted off a surface and air can escape. This chill pak idea is a bit half-baked, seeing as how most laptops have air-intakes on the bottom and this would likely block any air from entering. Secondly, for anyone using the laptop for more than an hour or so at a time (most people with jobs or homework or gaming to do…) the applications of such a product seem fairly limited, especially if youre nowhere near a place to swap out the chiller for a fresh one…I know Im certainly not going to be getting up every 30-45 minutes when gaming to change my laptop’s chillpad. If my computer overheats without this, theres likely a more serious problem at hand with airflow, dust, ambient temps, or the hardware.
Icepacks are great for sore muscles and joints, because they provide temporary relief. The main limitation and downfall of this product is just that. Temporary usefulness. Create a product that perhaps draws power and uses some kind of refrigerant and maybe weve got something worthy of a laptop docking solution. This product will sell to impulse buyers who will more than likely realize the benefits arent worth the hassle. Also, where are the alleged benchmark comparisons for this?
Well, I’m no technician, but I have one and can speak to it’s effectiveness. Granted, my fans expel air from the back and aren’t plugged up by the pak. Maybe it’s because the casing is metal (I’m using a PowerBook), but I get a great increase in speed.
Is it something that I can keep underneath the laptop all the time? No. But it’s also true that I don’t need to. Usually, I only need to speed things up after prolonged use. It’s then that it comes in handy. Also (again, maybe because the casing is metal) I’m getting more like an hour to an hour-and-a-quarter out of it.
Overall I’m happy with my purchase. But maybe that’s because, like the vast majority of users out there, my expectations and needs are far below those of the technician who posted above. I say, if you’re a regular user who needs a boost after prolonged use, or on a hot summer day, then this is a product worth the money.
Well, I’m no technician, but I have one and can speak to it’s effectiveness. Granted, my fans expel air from the back and aren’t plugged up by the pak. Maybe it’s because the casing is metal (I’m using a PowerBook), but I get a great increase in speed.
Is it something that I can keep underneath the laptop all the time? No. But it’s also true that I don’t need to. Usually, I only need to speed things up after prolonged use. It’s then that it comes in handy. Also (again, maybe because the casing is metal) I’m getting more like an hour to an hour-and-a-quarter out of it.
Overall I’m happy with my purchase. But maybe that’s because, like the vast majority of users out there, my expectations and needs are far below those of the technician who posted above. I say, if you’re a regular user who needs a boost after prolonged use, or on a hot summer day, then this is a product worth the money.
Well, I’m no technician, but I have one and can speak to it’s effectiveness. Granted, my fans expel air from the back and aren’t plugged up by the pak. Maybe it’s because the casing is metal (I’m using a PowerBook), but I get a great increase in speed.
Is it something that I can keep underneath the laptop all the time? No. But it’s also true that I don’t need to. Usually, I only need to speed things up after prolonged use. It’s then that it comes in handy. Also (again, maybe because the casing is metal) I’m getting more like an hour to an hour-and-a-quarter out of it.
Overall I’m happy with my purchase. But maybe that’s because, like the vast majority of users out there, my expectations and needs are far below those of the technician who posted above. I say, if you’re a regular user who needs a boost after prolonged use, or on a hot summer day, then this is a product worth the money.
It's “DEAN” “HAGLUND” you bimbo.
It's “DEAN” “HAGLUND” you bimbo.
How can you not know who you interviewed? The man’s name is Dean Haglund. A simple fact check would have served you well.