I have an Emachines laptop with a 15.4" widescreen and plenty of processing power. Meaning my laptop is about as wide as they come, and runs about as hot.

Summer just came round my neck of the woods, and in my hot little house, my hot little laptop couldnt hack it. I had it on a table, and by mid afternoon, it shut down. And wouldnt restart. The top was hot to the touch, and the bottom just as bad. So I got one of these Targus Chill Mats, figuring a couple little fans would help a bit.

They did more than help. Im convinced they saved the life of my laptop. My once hot-enough-to-fry-a-pie harddrive now tops out at a reasonable warm. Id say the air under my machine went from 95 to 60. Its not cool enough to refresh a beer, but its more than cool enough to allow my machine to stay on and operational all day.

At 11 3/4" by 9" its smaller than my laptop, but the feet on my machine still fit on it just fine. As I wouldnt expect Targus to make these in 3 sizes I think they chose a good route. Slightly smaller means itll fit nicely under any laptop, is more likely to fit in accessory pockets in bags (its only 1/2" thick), and leaves more room for the airflow you obviously need. So I cant fault it there.

Between my machines feet and the little rubber bumpers on the Mat, my machine is stable on it, and its stable on its own feet. I cant tell the difference between typing on it, or on a table. Despite the slightly smaller size.

Only having one little cable (which I keep bundled and twist-tied to the shortest length possible) running between the two is totally unobtrusive and easy to deal with. And dont even think about the sound. I honestly didnt even realise it was on at first.

The best $30 Ive spent on my computer in a long time. And spending that now sure saves the cost of replacing burnt out parts.

Definitely cool! (Rating: 5.00)
Review : I have a Fujitsu Lifebook C-Series that I was unable to sit with in my lap for more than a few minutes at a time without my thighs feeling like the skin was about to peel off. This "Chill Pad" has saved the day!

Coool Chill Mat for my Sony VAIO TR3A! (Rating: 5.00)
Review : I LOVE my Targus Notebook Chill Mat! The silver color blends perfectly with it, and it is very lightweight & portatble, and ultra quiet. Perfect for small notebook owners. I was amazed at how cool it actually keeps my VAIO. When I first got my notebook, it was running really hot and my dining table was getting hot too. Now I have a place to put my notebook on to protect my work surfaces and more importantly, keep the notebook cool!

Not as great as you think but not too bad (Rating: 3.00)
Review : I hardly use my laptop at a desk. This product isnt that great if your looking to place it on your lap and use your mouse on it. I find that its not very comfortable and the mouse doesnt work very well. If you do use a mouse it really needs to be a mini opti mouse! I mainly use this to set my laptop on to keep cool as I usually have it on the floor, the bed, an ottoman, etc and it can get pretty warm. This product does work in preventing it from getting too hot so that your laptop doesnt overheat.

Cool Way to Cool Your Notebook (Rating: 5.00)
Review : Was taking a Heat Transfer class this semester when I recently bought this 'thing.' Good thing: the notebook that I newly got(a Toshiba Satellite 5105-S701)gets hot pretty fast at the bottom that I wonder that I can boil water with such heat. The coolpad, which consists of two plastic parts, heightens the laptop by putting four rubber cushions that raises the bottom part of the laptop. This allows air to pass through the most hottest part of any notebook-and the designer must have studies his/her heat transfer well, for this utilizes natural convection in a very simple way. Another advantage: the top part of the Coolpad swivels, so you can swivel your notebook to any direction you want.
Overall, am satisfied with the purchase, although I have to agree the price is somewhat high for such a simple product.

Nice item, But could be better. (Rating: 4.00)
Review : My Mitac laptop has a fan on the bottom for exhaust so I figured with summer, my tabs on the PC always get stuck to the counter. This item is very nice indeed for a stable platform. Nice for lifting and having the hot air be directed in a different direction rather then just heat up the underside of the laptop. However this item I am sorry to say does not conform to larger model laptops. It doesnt sit on my lap easy and definatly not when I have my Wireless G card on the side. I would wind up if im not careful busting it. However if you find the place to keep it, aside from your lap. (Such as your bed, floor, table) This item will be a nice aide and you wont feel cheated for what you paied. However if your looking into keeping your laptop cool for the summer, I would suggest the one pad I saw that is PS2 powered and dual fans. Seems abit larger and will cool off same time. Dont have it myself, however I may get it.