Fred, I've been noticing lots of ads for these devices too.

I can only speak from my experience, but I don't think using a laptop at a table is a problem - because air can circulate underneath then. However, people like my kids really do use 'em as LAPtops, and also dump them on the living room carpet or the sofa while powered up.I reckon that was the reason for the hard disk on my daughter's laptop failing prematurely (under warranty thank God, but she lost loads of files).

Note I said "hard disk" not "processor" because after all a hard disk is an electromechanical device and is more likely to go *phut* than a processor.

I reckon that these coolers are a bit pointless if you sit at a desk and if you aren't playing Doom or something with 50 other gamers on an overclocked laptop.

Whether I would be able to persuade my kids to bother to use one of these coolers while they are lounging on a bed or a sofa is also a moot point - after all there is always the Bank of Mum and Dad when things go wrong!