Though my laptop sits quietly and comfortably in front of me when I'm typing emails, writing articles or even surfing the web, if I launch a resource hungry photo editor or visually impressive game, things start heating up pretty quickly. Fortunately, laptop cooling pads like chill mat or the Massive 23 GT Cooler can quickly help to put the fires out. Thermaltake, the company responsible for the latter, has just launched a much more rounded answer to the problem of notebook's running hot in the shape of the GOrb II.
Where the first generation of the GOrb laptop cooler merely lifted the back of a laptop to give the underside some room to breathe (while also creating an incline for typing comfort), the newcomer sports 70 mm (2.75 in) fans running at 2200 RPM in each hemisphere. After splitting the not-exactly-laptop-bag-friendly 100 x 90.4 x 90.2 mm (3.9 x 3.5 x 3.5 in) plastic and rubber orb in two, each module is placed at the rear corner of a notebook. The included USB connector is then plugged into a spare port for power (so you'll need to keep a close eye on battery levels).
Blue LEDs glow through the mesh when the units are powered on, providing a background light show to complement your Alienware gaming monster as the fans push air up toward the bottom of the portable computer to create a cooling gap.
Compatible with 10 - 17 inch notebooks, the GOrb II comes in black, white, red and yellow. When not in use, it can be stowed away in the supplied hard shell transport case, with a handy USB cable tidy slipped between the two halves. At the time of writing, we're still waiting for confirmation of price and availability.
Update 04/29/13: Thermaltake has just informed us that the recommended retail for the GOrb II will be US$29.99 when released in the next three to six weeks.
Product page: GOrb II