Microsoft HD player for the Xbox 360

At $199 the recently released High Definition-DVD player for the Xbox 360 is definitely worth the money. Excluding the price of the Xbox 360 the HD player is the cheapest HD-DVD player on the market. Setup is quick and easy. In less than five minutes you can be enjoying all the HD picture clarity and digital sound this new format can deliver. The biggest surprise is the quick response of the player. Where the stand alone models of the HD system and Blueray have load times of 2 minutes and up, the Microsoft player takes no longer than any standard DVD system.

If you own a 360 and have any interest in HD movies, this is the best $200 you’ll spend. At this price, it’s worth trying out the HD format and it doesn’t really matter who wins the format war. Again, if you’re new to the HD or Blueray formats do your homework before buying the disks. There is no reason to pay $24.99 when there are places selling them for $14.99-$19.99.

The one downside for many HDTV owners is the lack of HDMI output on the 360. For true video neophytes this is a major exclusion. For the rest of us using the high definition output of the component-video adapter does the trick since 1080p HD games aren’t scheduled to hit the scene until late 2007. --Or if your HDTV has a VGA connection using a VGA adapter will give more resolution options important to power users. (If you know what I’m talking about you’ve already decided to you if it matters or not. If HDMI or DVI connections are a major selling point in your gaming console, you’ve already opted for the Playstation.)

Right now, King Kong HD and a 360 media remote is included with the player, a $40 value for those who don’t already own them.

Extra notice to users

-The only complaint and a word to the wise is to mind the brief instructions on the install disk for the HD player. Once installed it instructs how to find the onscreen menu button for starting an HD disk. May seem simple but if you miss this caveat of info you’ll be quite upset the next time you use the player. That first time you put in a disk it kicks right into the HD movie. If you try a new movie, you’ll be looking through the 360 menu screens for the play button for the HD. At least for me, it’s very well hidden. I won’t try to explain it here, but make sure you watch the directions. Simple once you know, but a real hair puller if you don’t pay attention. Even the instruction book keeps this important info well hidden.

Holiday 2006

The holiday season has officially begun. With the coming of turkey and pumpkin pie to our tables and love handles Black Friday began the first of the holiday deals. People came out in droves to check out the loss leaders from the major retailers-some buyers, many shoppers. For my electronics habit, I was out sampling the electronics deals and steals bright and early. Best Buy was a madhouse. Everywhere else was manageable. It was fun watching people drool over the latest HDTV’s and $2.99 DVD’s. Some prices were so low it’ll be hard to pay regular prices. Call of Duty 2 for $19.99 one day and then back up to $39.99 the next. Some people try to avoid the malls and stores on the day after Thanksgiving. I make it an event.

Technovations has all the latest information on Black Friday deals, their successes and failures, and what this means for the rest of the holiday buying season in consumer electronics. With quick reviews on the Xbox 360 peripheral add-on HD-DVD drive and the Yamaha YT-800 single speaker surround sound powerhouse I’ve been busy updating the sites.

I finally got a chance to see Casino Royale. (Anyone with kids knows how much of a challenge it can be to see a movie while it’s still in theaters.) Man was it good. I hate being so brazen about it being so good tending as it does to ramp up peoples expectations. There are certainly things that could’ve been better, but it is clearly the best Bond film of my generation. Well, clearly since 1978 and perhaps even since Sean Connery left the franchise. I’ll leave the rest of my opinions for the review.

In coming weeks I plan on having quite a lot of fun with holiday parties, ads, and preparing for the upcoming January vacation to Orlando. I’m sure I’ll have more to say on this and many other things as the days click by.

Quick Rant

elays of games are as common to P.C. games and the consoles as it is in the rest of the software industry. Games are routinely pushed back leaving legions of gamer fans out in the cold. Any game consumer has to figure on a couple of delays for any game they are excited about. And while this is commonplace and something, many of us know it doesn’t negate the frustration.

The bigger complaint stems from the lack of information out there. With the plethora of gaming sites and magazines information should be just as widespread. However, this is just not the case with release dates. A push back on the release of a game is one thing. When a game is scheduled to ship to stores and no one knows it hasn’t until release day is just plain criminal.

The biggest gaming websites are typically left in the dark. Retailers advertise games with low prices and when you arrive to pick up a copy, no one seems to know anything about the game. Frustrating. Shipping delays and the like should be communicated within the industry. If a game isn’t going to make it onto store shelves by a week or two, websites should do their homework to find out. And retailers should have better informed employees working their game departments.

I won’t go into the specifics but in recent weeks, I’ve had experiences at all the big box and local retail game outlets where the master list of games isn’t even close to being right, let alone the pimple faced kid at the counter who supposedly is a gaming freak.

For this site and the other columns I write I’ve tried contacting a few game companies to find out if I can offer this service to my readers. The three majors I’ve spoken with have all commented on having not had this request from any other gaming source. I have a hard time believing this, but it may go to explain why this information is so rare.

If we are supposed to be living in the Age of Information, they why are so many so ill informed. We need more substance and less fluff from those who provide our information.

Happy Birthday Xbox 360

Happy Birthday Xbox 360, Presents for everyone.

Marking the first anniversary of the Xbox 360, Xbox Live Video will make its debut on the Microsoft online service. This download service for Standard and High Definition movies and television shows is the first HD downloadable service for HD movie content in the U.S. This update allows users to pay for downloaded movies and television shows with their Microsoft points.

The debut offering will include more than 800 hours of SD and 200 hours of HDTV programming from CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, Turner, and UFC, as well as movies from Warner Bros., Paramount, and a number of others. For an initial launch, there is a good assortment of movies and television shows. The HD movie content is a little on the light side but over coming weeks and months there should be a decent selection.

In an effort to compete with iTunes, Tivo and Netflix services, Microsoft is using a rental model for movies while TV shows are for purchase. While the pricing seems reasonable, costing between 170-400 credits per download, the 600 MB-5 GB range of downloads highlights the space constraints of the 20 GB hard drive of the 360. If successful this video campaign will put more pressure on the 360 team to release a high capacity hard drive or allow downloads to be transferred to external drives.

Panda Porn

Just for the fun of it.

This really doesn’t have anything to do with technology but it does provide scientific support for porn. Yes, you heard right. Panda porn is all the rage in China. Not from the internet but in zoos as reproduction experts have found a way to increase successful panda mating. A significant increase according to experts as this year they hit a high water mark for births, 28 this year compared to 12 last year and only 9 in 2000. Panda porn has given pandas the extra needed push in the libido department as males watch, and more importantly, listen to tapes of other panda’s having sex.

Keep your hands to yourself

Looking to shock your latest mugger or just a persistent groping boyfriend the no-contact jacket is the latest in personal protection. Upon activation by the wearer 80,000 volts of low amp electric current is unleashed on the unsuspecting assailant. Having the same effect philological effect as a taser and stun gun technologies. Designed to protect as well as provide women with the means to protect themselves and cast off the shackles of being powerless victims to crime.

Chair fart filter

This one is just plain weird. Either that or else it’s so revolutionary it’s ahead of it’s time. Forget Beano. If passing gas at your desk is a serious problem then this is the product for you. Using activated charcoal to absorb the odor from breaking wind. Of course, it won’t muzzle the Mt. Vesuvius explosions coming from your backside. At least when the social police appear on the scene you’ll pass olfactory investigation and they’ll move on to your co-workers.

If you’re interested in all things fart related check out http://www.farts.com/ or for a good F.A.Q. answering all your gas related questions, including some you’d never think to ask out loud go to http://www.heptune.com/farts.html

Technovations

Wii and Playstation 3 launch

With the launch of the Wii and Playstation 3 this last week the next-gen console wars have officially begun. Outside gamer circles, the Nintendo and Sony platforms have garnered a lot of mainstream press with their cultural event launches.

Sony for the less than successful rollout of the Playstation 3 aiding in some very frustrated consumers and retailers. From riots to robberies, anyone standing in line for their chance to own the first batch of Playstation 3’s risked not only wasted time and money but also a chance to spend the night in the ER or a police station. Sony made Microsoft’s less then stellar worldwide release of the Xbox 360 look tame in comparison.

Nintendo surprised many with the lack of problems facing the Wii launch. Most people looking to get their hands on the Wii were able to and without mobs or threats of violence. And they paid a lot less, try $249 versus then their $599 Sony counterparts.

While Nintendo’s strategy with their next-generation machine is not to compete but rather offer the gaming public something different, a good player experience. Instead of putting all their eggs in one basket with new High Definition technologies, Nintendo hopes to entice more casual gamers into the market with easy to use, fun to play games. A refreshing difference compared to the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 machines that initially only offered games with amazing graphics but little else. A problem 360 developers have overcome in the last year since its launch. Now, the world will have to sit back and wait to see what Sony releases as game developers work out the kinks of working on the Cell based system.

I’m not about to bet on a sure fire winner in this contest. This is only the beginning of what we are going to see from each of these companies. What makes this interesting is how the public is going to respond to the games released in coming months and years. For complacent Sony who once concretely owned the top video console slot the competition Microsoft is giving them can only be good for the consumer. Let’s hope they push for a better standard with their Playstation 3 games then with Playstation 2.

Bits and Bytes- Quick News with no use Intel has announced the end of an era, the Pentium 4 era that is. By Q3 of 2007 Intel expects to end production of the Pentium 4 architecture in favor if it’s new top of the line chip the Core 2 Duo. As Intel looks to clear out inventory after Christmas expect to see chips using the outdated Netburst architecture showing up in the bargain bin. Estimates of price drops of nearly $100 are expected bringing the price into the $70 range. The budget Celeron chip has a little more life left in it as production will continue until early 2008.

Holy Grail or Sexual Satisfaction

Having absolutely nothing to do with technology this one begs to be commented upon. According to Reuters a disproportionate number of Britons are prepared to give up sex in exchange for a long life, specifically to life to a hundred years old. (60%) Not surprisingly was the number of women willing to make the sacrifice far outweighed that of men. (48 percent compared to 31 percent of the men in the survey). Just another survey commissioned by health care providers attempting to get a handle on the complex issues of aging. As people are living longer and many are faced with serious decisions regarding healthcare and retirement, it’s good to know there are still these surveys to shine a light on what we already know. Most men would trade just about anything, even an extra day of life to get just a little more nooky.

Price cut for Playstation 3-

Falling under the weight of outside pressure Sony has dropped the price of its forthcoming Playstation 3 making the 20 GB version $430 (US) when it is released for sale this November 11^th. Now for the bad news. It only applies to their loyal Sony customers in Japan. These price cuts do not apply to the US or the European launches. While American buyers are sure to scream at this price discrimination, European buyers have even more to balk, as they have to wait until next year for their launch. Due to delays in production, Sony has been forced to push the European launch to early 2007.

Crap-Crap-Crap Tech in Spring/Summer 2006

Spring and early summer tends to be bit lackluster in the technology department. Consumers and technology pundits alike tend to have little to inspire them in the second quarter. Everyone is out enjoying their boats and barbeques since there is little to keep them indoors at this time of the year. Other than rehash all the cool stuff we are waiting for in the coming months, let’s review some of the crap from this year so far. Okay, so I don’t have enough room to go over all of the crap instead I’ll concentrate on some of the items that were underwhelming or should’ve been better than it turned out.

-Unexciting Format War

Long gone are the glory days of format wars. When titans of industry fight for consumer dominance with conflicting proprietary products. Sony seems always to be in the center of the arena- this time is no different. Except for the lack of excitement, even with early adopters. There are distinct camps in this war, Blu-ray and HD-DVD. Each is supported by entertainment and technology companies.

There is clearly defined difference between the two. However, at the end of the day consumers don’t care enough to make a difference. Few seem to notice their new HD televisions lacks HD content. So, these releases are only for early adopters who are willing to pay excessively and who care about the quality of what they watch. Something average consumers have again and again shown to the negative. Ease of use will always win out over quality. (MP3’s anyone.) And with the dual format VHS/DVD players on the market most consumers know it is only a matter of time before a 3^rd party vendor releases a machine with both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. That is if both formats survive long enough to matter. It’s a huge case of hurry up and wait since as HD sets penetrate the market eventually consumers will be wondering where to find HD movies. Until then be prepared to be underwhelmed by this lackluster fight.

There are those detractors who say consumers will be reluctant to convert their DVD libraries to the next gen-HD after already going from VHS to DVD. While this conversion may not come at the brisk pace with which DVD took over the video world, DVD’s will begin to show their age and lack of resolution in years to come. As new releases come readily to the HD world and DVD sales begin to wane, the public will have little choice but adopt High Def. It’s only a matter of speed, availability, and price.

Newly added original Xbox titles for the 360

Original Xbox compatible titles for the Xbox 360---Newly added as of August 2006

Aggressive Inline

All-Star Baseball 2003 updated

All-Star Baseball 2005

Aquaman: Battle of Atlantis

Burnout 3: Takedown

Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth Updated

Catwoman

Counter-Strike

Crash Nitro Kart 2 Updated

Dead to Rights

Digimon Rumble Arena 2 Updated

ESPN Major League Baseball

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Director’s Cut

Ford vs. Chevy Updated

Freaky Flyers

Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows

Half-Life 2 Updated

IndyCar Series 2005

Kabuki Warriors Updated

LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

Links 2004

Magatama Updated

Maximum Chase

Mortal Kombat Deception Updated

MTX: Mototrax

MX vs. ATV Unleashed

Namco Museum 50^th Anniversary Arcade Collection

Outlaw Tennis

Over the Hedge

Richard Burns Rally

Rogue Trooper

Serious Sam

Shincho Mahjong

Sid Meier’s Pirates

Smashing Drive

Sneakers 5 Updated

Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run

Taz Wanted

The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer Updated

The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning

The Suffering

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Island Thunder

Torino 2006 Winter Olympics

Trigger Man

True Crime:Streets of LA

Vietcong: Purple Haze

Wrath Unleashed

X2 Wolverine’s Revenge

For a complete list of titles compatible on the Xbox 360 head to Xbox.com

PC purchase remorse

Regularly I receive phone calls asking, “Did I get a good deal on this computer?”. After hearing the specs they usually ask how much I think it cost them. Only because I follow such things, I usually pick the price within $50 to $100. The disappointment on the other end of the phone is nearly heartbreaking. People don’t like to think they didn’t receive a good deal and there is nothing worse then a person picking the price you paid or thinking it should’ve been lower. Computers, in my estimation require a practical understanding for consumers that used to be needed only for cars, homes, and large appliances.

The minute you drive it off the lot the value drops 10%. The same applies to computers when you crack open that box and power it up. It not only loses value PC’s are outdated the minute it walks out the door. (Actually, they are outdated before they hit the store shelves.) To find value in this purchase, and not feel like a sucker you have to walk into the purchase with a realistic set of expectations. It isn’t about speed of the processor, the size of the hard drive or how many GB of RAM is loaded into it. Those are fun specs for geeks. For the average user it only matters if it runs the programs you need.

Again, for the average buyer computers need to be about whether it fills the need in your household. Can it do all the things you expect of it? And frankly speaking, most people are buying much more computer then they need. Even the aspects of upgrading are ludicrous for most people who will buy a completely new machine before they can gain any benefits from upgrades.

I’ve come up with a handy buyers guide for computers. If you stick to these few principles, you should have the least amount of buyer’s remorse at the end of the day.

At the end of the day the only way to make sure you got a good deal on your recent computer purchase is to do your research, know what you need, and keep realistic expectations. Then once you’ve bought it, quite looking at the ads and don’t tell anyone your specs. If someone asks, say, ‘it’s paid for and it does everything I could ask of it.’ When buying a PC that’s the best anyone can say.

Gadgets

There are more bad products out there than good. My mission to find those products worthwhile and useful in the right hands is tireless. However, once and a while I come across something that really makes me scratch my head. --Because the idea is so stupid or the execution seems like it was completed by monkeys-- there are some so bad I just can’t keep my mouth shut.

Take the Drive Alert Master II. Designed to wake up sleepy drivers as they nod off at the wheel this simple device doesn’t even sound as if it will do the trick. Sure, a loud noise in the ear will wake you up, for a second. No better than loud static on the radio, or rolling the windows down and pumping up the AC. The problem is drivers fall asleep at the wheel because they are tired. No device is going to fix that. Once a person realizes they are too tired to drive, they need to pull over. And again, this thing won’t solve that.

Save your 24.95 and pick up another couple of espressos.

http://www.gadgetuniverse.com/product_detail.asp?SRC=25EM060801&rsource=EMAIL&keywd=25EM060801&SKU=TE+332+S

Here’s one from the Shaper Image with an idea that I love. Reality on the other hand. -Spion™ Orbitor™ Electronic Listening Device. A spy movie listening dish with earphones and the ability to record up to 120 seconds of sound from as far away as 300’. Point it at the neighbors across the street and listen as they argue their way into divorce court. The problem being this thing doesn’t work. You can hear sounds from across the room. However, it has a terrible time distinguishing between ambient sound and someone speaking. The clarity is nowhere what it should be for $60. The distance is nowhere near the 300’, at least not with any true distinguishing of sounds. I wanted to like this thing. It left me disappointed. Best thing to do-Skip it. If you can’t then test one out in a Sharper Image store.

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catalog/product/sku__AR006

¶ 2:40 PM (0) comments links to this post

Circuit City to break the law, for a price. They will convert your DVD’s for use on your IPOD for $10 a pop. For years, low-tech hackers have had access to inexpensive tools for cracking the encryption for DVD burning. What makes this interesting is it is the first time a major company has been willing flagrantly to flout the law. Odds are Circuit City will be discontinuing this service as soon as they receive a cease and desist order from the MPAA or the studios. It would be strange for a big company to risk losing their rights to sell DVD’s because of violating the Digital Millennia Act.

There has been some wiggle room on the legality of this issue with past legislation allowing fair use for owners to make a single copy of a movie. Where it comes to odds is with the DMAA’s forbidding of breaking the copy-protection encryption on any digital media. Of course, all this leads us once again into the gigantic issue at the heart of digital ownership in the 21^st century. (A debate we won’t get into for the sake of this writers sanity.)

While this service by Circuit City isn’t groundbreaking it will make an interesting story to watch unfold. And while many applaud Circuit City’s willingness to break the law to make a buck, most are still left wondering why anyone would spend $10 to do what they could do at home for free.

Tech Blurb

Following the tech blurbs

-New electric car hits 130 MPH-The Tesla Roadster is Silicon Valley’s attempt to make an electric car cool. A sophisticated attempt to challenge Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini with a electric car that goes 0 to 60-mph in four seconds. And it does it silently. The stealthy factor may well save this electric vehicle, if it can find buyers that are looking for speed without the racecar sound. Of course, you could just pump your favorite motor sound though the sound system if you have to hear the power under the hood. Aside from its impressive specs Tesla will still have to succeed where GM and other have failed-popularizing electric automobiles. For now, this is one to watch. It’ll be interesting to see if they can make any headway in an American industry known for its gas guzzling, loud, and large vehicles.

Acer Aspire 9800-quick review

Acer Aspire 9800

The 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo Processor of the Acer Aspire 9800 gives it healthy amount of power for the laptop category. However, with a 20-inch screen and more than 17 lbs. of heft it sits in the desktop replacement category rather firmly. Add to that the manufacturer’s estimate of 1.5 hours of battery life and you have a laptop that’s screaming for a desktop and an outlet. By desktop replacement standards, the 9800 is a bit underwhelming. While boasting 2 GB of Ram, a PCI Express Chipset and a NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 graphics card it comes in at a whopping $2650 (average current price on-line). There are a number of other laptops in this price range that can do the job better then the Aspire 9800. Of course its main selling point is the 20-inch screen coupled with it’s HD-DVD drive. (One of only two models currently supporting the new format.) The problem being at its weight and size you won’t be packing it around in any standard laptop bag. If having a portable movie system is your bag then you’re better off either with a smaller laptop or a portable DVD player to hook into a standalone monitor. It’ll cost you less and fit you’re needs better.

What’s good: Big screen, HD-DVD (If you care.), and decent hardware for multimedia use.

What’s bad: Gargantuan size and weight, almost nil-battery life, and a high price tag for a desktop replacement that doesn’t offer many custom configurations from the manufacturer.

Bottom line: If you’re looking at the Acer Aspire 9800 it’s probably because you’ve taken size and the like into mind. As such, it’s a fine desktop replacement if multimedia is your overriding concern and you don’t want to look at cheaper alternatives. Otherwise, there are a lot of other fish in the sea worth spending a few grand on.

Industry first for MI:3 release

On the High Definition news front, Paramount is expect to announce an industry first release of MI: 3 in three formats, traditional DVD, Blue-ray and HD. This is an important milestone in these early days of High Definition disks coming to market. Still, we are a long way from either format declaring a winner. Especially when most analysts are predicting there will be no clear winner rather a merging of these two formats.

What is clear is that those with HD televisions are scrambling for HD content. While the price of these early HD players are astronomical forcing most casual users to wait, many people don’t even realize they aren’t getting the most out of their new set top television. There are a large majority of HD television owners who don’t even realize they are not watching HD unless they are hooked up to an HD signal.

From the sidelines the HD format wars are interesting to watch. Clearly it’s too early to put your money on any of these formats until it matures. Unless you’re an early adopter who can afford instant obsolescence.

No matter how spectacular the MI:3 High Definition picture looks it won’t make up for a lackluster film. MI:3 was clearly not a good enough movie to get most of us excited about HD. Maybe the release of Superman Returns or Aliens, but surly not Mission Impossible 3

Roadwarrior Slingbox--for the rest ---avoid the hype

Sling Media Slingbox

What a great idea. Hook the Slingbox up to your cable or satellite box and watch television while on the road. By using a high-speed broadband connection from your hotel, or wherever, you can watch your Tivo shows or anything stored on your media PC. For those who spend more days of the year on the road then at home this is a great concept. The rest of us?

Try as I might I can’t find a use for this thing, for most people. The use of this technology is conditional on a number of factors. A fast broadband connection being the most important. And you have to have one on both ends, both where the Slingbox is connected and wherever you view it on the road. Something many people will find a challenge unless they are shelling out a lot of money for wireless broadband through the phone or laptop.

Still, I’m left with a problem finding value in this device for most people. Again, it’s a nice idea but one that I believe for most consumers doesn’t have a lot of practical use. Sure, it could be used to bring your recorded content to a spare room or on your back porch. However, there are many other devices specifically made for use in home.

Without reviewing this device by using it, I question the need for it for the average consumer. Don’t let the hype of what this thing can do force you into buying another piece of technology that sounds great but in reality can’t be integrated into your life.

Like I said, I’m excited by the Slingbox as well, and nearly fell into the trap. Make sure you really explore the market before buying one of these or I suspect you’ll be burdened by overwhelming buyer’s remorse.

Upgrade that Cell phone, or else!

Come September more than four million Cingular Wireless subscribers will be forced to pay a $5 surcharge for using older non-GSM phones. While 92% of Cingular’s customers already have a GSM phone those still using one of the two older technologies are being urged to convert to newer handsets. This move, which will bring in an added 23.5 million a month in revenue to the company, is prompted by a FCC provision that cell phone carriers provide analog service until early 2008 so long as a company still has customers using the service.

This adds one more in a long list of added charges wireless customers are seeing on their monthly bills. These charges coupled with an array of government taxes add an estimated 50% to the advertised rate of most wireless companies. While the cost of wireless service continues to climb, so do the number of users. For all the complaints as to the cost there are more than 110 million subscribers to Verizon and Cingular Wireless services, the top two wireless providers.

Clearly its big business for telecommunications companies. So, why does it still cost so much to have a cell phone and a home phone. While the services have increased over the years the cost of having internet service, phone service and wireless have gone up well beyond the cost attributed to inflation.

Burning up in bed- Targus Notebook Chill Mat

Targus Notebook Chill Mat

-As a long time skeptic of these devices, I’ve been reluctant to add anything to the weight of my laptop. After many a night with singed leg hairs from working with the laptop in bed, I thought I’d try it, at least as a buffer between my skin and the volcanic heat emanating from the laptop undercarriage. Much to my surprise, this laptop cooler has worked remarkably well. The laptop has been running considerably cooler. The twin fans are quiet enough to use in bed with only the occasional squeaking.

The model above this one had additional two-usb ports. A nice idea and one that should be included in every one of these devices. I however, was unwilling to pay double the price just for the added convenience. I already own a four port USB hub that I’ve strapped onto the notebook chiller.

The only annoying part is the cord. While most consumer electronics seem to skimp on the length of cords, this one is exceptionally long for a device that is designed to be with the laptop. (My solution was to use electrical tape to attach it to the edge of the coolers frame. And while it is an additional drain on my laptop battery, there hasn’t been any notable difference in the life of the battery charge.

However, unscientific I almost believe the battery charge has been extended by this device rather than shortening it. I’ll have to conduct a test and do some research on if this is at all possible or just my imagination.

Final word: I’m still skeptical of the need for any of the fancier and expensive versions of the notebook chiller. I would say this Targus model is worth the $19.99 price tag if for no other reason than to avoid bedtime burns.