Passive Laptop Cooling Test
We used a Thermal Imaging camera to compare the heat signature of a laptop on the Latosta Portable Laptop Stand to the same laptop lying flat on a table.

Test Procedure: Starting with a fully charged Apple mac book, run the laptop for 45 minutes playing a DVD, then take thermal pictures using a Fluke Ti30 Thermal Imaging Camera. Measure the temperature at 3 points: The middle of the T key, the middle of the V key, and on the left side of the keyboard bezel. It should be noted that the exhaust port on the mac book is in the middle on the far end of the keyboard where the monitor attach's to the keyboard and can be easily seen in the images. The major heat generating components on the mac book are under the left side of the keyboard. My Mac book does not run hot or overheat. Ambient temperature for all tests was about 21 degrees C (70 degrees Fahrenheit).

EXTERNAL TEMPERATURE:
The thermal camera is measuring the external temperature on the top of the keyboard, and this external temperature is in the range of 4 to 12 degrees above ambient. The temperature of the internal components will be greater, and also exhibit a greater temperature difference with and without a stand as shown below. The Mac book does not run hot, and the final results are not dramatic, but do show that the Latosta reduces the external temperature by 0.5 to 1.2 degrees, with the maximum reduction being in the center of the keyboard (T key).

INTERNAL TEMPERATURE:
Click here for independent internal temperature testing by Overclockers Online. These tests show a CPU temperature reduction from 85C to 73C at full load, and from 51C to 43C at idle using the Latosta portable laptop stand. This represents a reduction relative to ambient temperature of 18% at full load and 25% at idle.

"Works great, keeps my internal fan from coming on every 15 minutes or so." -  Earl F, Ellington, CT

ACTIVE LAPTOP COOLING VS PASSIVE LAPTOP COOLING
Although effective in cooling your laptop, active coolers normally use power from your laptop's USB port. Our testing with an Antec cooler shows that it increases power consumption by approximately 10% at full load and 200% on idle*. More importantly to us, they're noisy, much harder to carry around, and compromise ergonomics. Unless your laptop runs very hot, passive cooling using the Latosta may be enough for you.

Click here for independent tests by Overclcokers Club that compare the Latosta Portable Laptop Stand to an array of active cooler's. From their conclusions: "While the cooling benefits aren't quite as significant as some of the bulkier, powered coolers, there are still significant benefits to be had. All these combined really make for a great product that I would recommend for anyone on the go." 

By reducing power consumption, you will increase your run time between charges, and by keeping the batteries closer to a full charge, you will increase the longevity of your battery pack. See links for more information about batteries and how they are effected by temperature and discharge levels.

* The 200% increase in power consumption during idle mode is deceptive. Six hours of idle time used 7% power with the Latosta stand, and 21% power with the Antec active cooler. Both usage rates are relatively low, so this would only affect you significantly if you left your computer in idle mode a large portion of the time. Your results may vary depending on your computer's idle mode power consumption.