Introduction:
We have had Cooler Master on the Planet before but it has always been an Enclosure that we have tested. But Cooler Master does not just make enclosures; they make many accessories for computers and not just desktops they also have accessories for laptops too. While looking around for something to help keep my laptop cool and to allow my wife to use her 17” laptop at work with an external keyboard I came across the NotepalS. I inquired at Cooler Master and they were kind enough to send two one for me to test with and one for my wife to take to work. How did this pair work out? Well let me tell you…
Product: Notepal S
Author: Sean Kalinich
Reviewed on: 25th 2007
Product cost: $28-$40
Manufacturer: Cooler Master
Spelling and Grammatical editor: Planetx64.com Staff
{mospagebreak title=Packaging}
Packaging:
The pair of NotepalS’ arrived in plain but attractive boxes that reminded me of something that I could not quite put my finger on. The box is primarily white with a large picture of the NotepalS on it and two smaller images displaying the two color options. The text on the box describes the NotepalS as a “Must Have” device for transforming your laptop into a desktop. There is more propaganda about the major features below this line in four bullet points. The back has more information and images to illustrate the advantages of the NotepalS.
Inside the box the NotepalS was nicely tucked away with sturdy foam end caps to keep it from shifting around in the box.
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{mospagebreak title= Appearance and Construction }
Appearance and Construction:
On the front of the NotepalS box Cooler master uses the descriptive word “elegant” I have to say that they used the right word. The graceful curve of the NotepalS is elegant and eye-catching. The color that Cooler Master sent out was silver (as you can see from the images below) this lends a nice industrial feel to the NotepalS and actually helps it visually bland in with the laptop used (more on that later).
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The NotepalS is made of a single piece of aluminum for the upper surface with a plastic base and “lever” that controls the angle of incline (there are six angles to choose from). To prevent scratching your laptop Cooler Master has placed a rubber bumper on the inside of the curved lip and two rubber foot pads on the upper back portion for the bottom of your laptop to rest on. These also ensure good non-slip contact. The curved aluminum surface has large slots cut into is to allow for airflow to the bottom of the note book and the aluminum itself helps to dissipate even more heat.
The NotepalS is an amazingly simple, elegant and functional design.
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Eye-appeal:
Once I started bringing the NotepalS to work people started asking me about it.
I would get questions like:
“What type of laptop is that?”
“Where did you get that?”
“How much is it?”
This was in addition to the comments on the looks of the NotepalS. I do not think a day has gone by that I have not gotten some sort of comment on the looks of the NotepalS.
{mospagebreak title=Performance} Performance:
For those of you that work off of a laptop you may have found that you begin to hunch over the desk to see the screen or to work with the keyboard. I know that personally find myself doing that with my new 12.1” book. It was not a noticeable on the 15” or 17” models I previously used but became horrible on this little 12”. That is not to say I do not like the tx1000 I use, on the contrary, I think it is the best laptop I have ever owned. Just that using it for extended periods of time has me leaning over to keep working.
Now to further aggravate this I was recently in an automobile accident and suffered injuries to my back and left shoulder for a short time this made working on the tx1000 for extended periods impossible.
Now I am sure by now you are wondering just where I am going with all of this, well I am trying to give background on what is going on and to justify the following euphoric statements I am going to make about the NotepalS.
Upon its arrival I pulled out the Notepal Sand set about trying it out at different angles. What I found out from my first night of testing is that with the way the tx1000 is elevated I could work without hunching over the laptop and it provided amazing relief for the usual burning ache in my neck and back. I also noticed that my shoulder did not “lock” on me while typing or begin to go numb as it often had before.
Needless to say I was ecstatic. I had found a way to continue doing what I love (yes I actually love writing and doing these evaluations) without pain and large amounts of medication. This is all due to the way the NotepalS raises the screen to a viewing angle that approximates the same height of a regular monitor. Now some of you may think that the increased angle of the keyboard would be uncomfortable to type on, this is not the case and it actually seems to reduce fatigue in the wrists and forearms.
The raised platform and the small footprint of the base also lead to another and completely unexpected benefit, the NotepalS is a space saver, I found I was able to put my laptop in places using the NotepalS that I could not put just the laptop.
Now I was not going to trust the impressions of one evening to complete my opinion of the NotepalS.
I decided that for a period of 30 days I would use this item both at work and at home bringing it back and forth with me.
For my wife she took hers to her office and left it there with the new keyboard and mouse we bought for her.
To complete this evaluation I will cover both of our views on this product.
His:
As I mentioned above I have a love for writing, I also have a love for technology I am at my happiest when my desk is covered with new “toys” for me to write about. This state of chaotic happiness means that the surface area of my desk rarely sees the light of day and is in short supply of space for me to put my laptop. Usually it sits sandwiched at an odd angle right at the edge of the desk with very little room for cables (power, network, etc) and nowhere to comfortably put my arms/wrists for typing. It also puts the viewing angle of the laptop at an awkward position and one that means I have to bend over to read anything properly. The same thing can be said for my area at work I have three 19” monitors on my desk and numerous other items in keeping with my work as SysAdmin.
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Before, when I brought my laptop to work I would have it sitting in an awkward position right at the edge of my desk. With one of the corners actually hanging off of the desk! Not the most recommended way to work.
With the NotepalS I have a different work environment. The same space that I had problems with now fits my tx1000 with some extra room. This is (as I mentioned above) due to the fact that the NotepalS raises the laptop above the rest of the items on your desk and gives it a smaller foot print.
Now I use my laptop much more at work, I connect into our guest wireless and test our web-based applications with it, no more hunching over or uncomfortable positions to reach the keys. It is simply easy to work with now that I bring the NotepalS with me. At home the benefit has become more obvious; I can work longer without discomfort, I can position my laptop in a more accessible and usable position, I do not have to clear off quite as much to use it.
I know some of you may be wondering about transporting the NotepalS back and forth, what issues if any did I have? I can honestly say I had no issues other than the fact that my current laptop bag will not fit the NotepalS inside it. But it is light enough that I carry it by hand.
Hers:
For my wife the requirements were very different. She wanted to use her Laptop Like a desktop, complete with external keyboard and mouse. Now the laptop she uses is a 17” Dell and as such it is a rather large laptop. Using a keyboard with this flat on the desk is simply not an option you are too far from the screen. So what was needed was a way to elevate the laptop so that the distance from the user to the screen (when using the keyboard) was minimized.
The Cooler Master NotepalS provided this; brining the 17” display up and in-line with a “normal” viewing angle while shortening the distance from your eyes to the screen.
I questioned my wife on her thoughts and feelings (as well as any comment from her co-workers) after using the NotepalS for 30 days. And found that she enjoyed having the screen of the laptop up and in a more normal viewing angle, but also due to the size of the screen the NotepalS allowed her to have the screen positioned at a good distance when using the external keyboard. She did have the complaint that when moving the screen angle there were times when the whole unit felt like it would topple over.
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This is not a good thing Cooler Master states, on the box (and on the website), that the NotepalS supports up to 17” laptops. Yet here we see that when a 17” laptop is on the NotepalS we have a stability issue. I was a tad disappointed, what for me was a great feature (the small footprint of the base) was a problem for my wife.
When I asked if people had made any comments her reply was a vigorous shake of the head and the statement “every day” She hears comments such as:
“Oh cool, now you can use it just like a desktop with a separate keyboard and everything.”
“That is a great idea.”
Performance conclusion:
It looks like the Cooler Master NotepalS performs as advertised with the exception of being a little unstable when using a 17” laptop. Both my wife and I found it to be a great benefit to working from a laptop. I personally found it an amazing asset since it helped me alleviate the pain I was experiencing when working for long periods of time on my laptop.
{mospagebreak title=Price/Warranty}
Price/Warranty:
Price:
the NotepalS will cost you between $28-$40 of your hard earned cash. This is not terribly bad and I feel that the price is more than worth what you get out of the NotepalS.
Warranty:
For the warranty information I will let the Cooler Master site speak for itself:
"Warranty information
Thank you for purchasing this Cooler Master product. Cooler Master guarantees this product against any material or functional defects, and provides limited hardware warranty service for one year after the date of purchase. Please make sure to save your purchase receipt.
This product is designed exclusively for use with laptop computers. The warranty shall be void if this product is used for any other purpose. Please refer to these instructions if you are unfamiliar with installation procedures and method of use.
Warranty service applies only to malfunctions occurring during normal use, and is not applicable to the following situations: (1) damage caused by accident, abuse, modification, misuse, neglect, voltage supply error, water spillage, natural disaster, or use of other external device; (2) a non-Cooler Master product, such as a transmission line, has been used; (3) the function of a Cooler Master product or its parts has been modified without the written consent of Cooler Master; or (4) use of product serial number or date of manufacture to obtain warranty service when product the purchase receipt or invoice has been lost."
{mospagebreak title=Conclusion}
Conclusion:
Cooler Master bills the NotepalS as a notebook cooling accessory, but in the long run that is not where the NotepalS stand out. Yes, it does help with cooling by allowing air flow under the laptop, and the aluminum construction does allow for heat to be pulled away from the underside of the laptop. Still where the NotepalS really stands out is in its ergonomics, simply put the NotepalS made using a laptop more comfortable for both my wife and I. The adjustable riser allows the NotepalS to be set to a height that is comfortable for just about anyone. To wrap thing up the NotepalS lived up to the writing on the box and really is a “Must Have” if you are looking for something to let you work on your laptop like it is a desktop, or if you are one of the unlucky few to suffer from “laptop hunch” after working on your laptop for a long period of time.
Pros:
Light weight
Adjustable angle
No-Slip pads
Reduces wrist and arm fatigue (yes it really does)
Cons:
Unstable when using a 17” laptop
The Cooler Master NotepalS has earned our Best on the Planet award
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Acknowledgements:
I would like to thank Michelle Wu at Cooler Master for arranging the two NotepalS’ used in this evaluation.