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Road Tools has released white variants of both their CoolPad and Podium CoolPad products. Road Tools' Jim MacEachern says that while the main focus of this version is the new, white 500 MHz iBooks, the white also looks great with Titanium PowerBook. 
All G3-G4 PowerBooks can get pretty torrid. Many users find that literal PowerBook laptop use with bare legs or thin trousers can get uncomfortable. Comfort aside, heat is also an enemy of electronic component longevity, and anything one can do to minimize internal temperatures will likely enhance the laptop's service life. One way to improve cooling is by letting air circulate underneath as well as on top of the 'Book. Most laptops dissipate some of their heat through the bottom and the more air that's allowed to flow under the bottom, the better opportunity that heat will have to dissipate. Creating open air space under the PowerBook allows more efficient heat dissipation by convection - the process by which the fanless Cube and post-July 2000 iMacs are cooled. Hot air rises, and cooler air circulates in to replace it. The Road Tools CoolPad creates open airspace under the 'Book as well as elevating the back (or for better ergonomics, the front) of the computer. Six small rubber pads on the bottom of the CoolPad hold the laptop in place, making it helpful for air travelers whose laptops slide around on tray tables. 
There are two versions of CoolPad -- the basic, classic model, and the Podium CoolPad, which allows you to adjust keyboard tilt using LEGO-like spacer blocks. 
Both CoolPads incorporate a swivelling feature, which allows the 'Book to rotate 360 degrees on its base, allowing convenient slick access to a PowerBook's ports. One feature of the Podium CoolPad that intrigued me is the potential for adjusting keyboard rake, including negative tilt (away from the user). 
When I first got my PowerBook 5300 back in 1996, I routinely extended the machine's little, retractable legs that elevated the back end of the keyboard. However, a year or two later, when I began to experience significant typing pain, I did some research on keyboard ergonomics and was surprised to discover that contrary to popular opinion and near-universal design convention, having a computer keyboard raked toward you is bad ergonomics. Perhaps that is why Apple stopped including the retractable legs on PowerBooks beginning with the 1400 (they made a temporary encore on the 3400, which recycled of the 5300's basic case design). Anyway, I tried retracting the 5300's legs, and fairly soon noticed that indeed my arms and hands felt more comfortable with the keyboard flat. It felt different, and sort of "wrong" until I got used to it. Since then I have experimented with negative rake, having the back of the keyboard angle down from the user. This makes sense in terms of stress on your wrists. Your hands naturally angle down when relaxed. However, most external keyboards are designed with positive rake. I have modified the MacAlly New Wave keyboard that I use most of the time by making a wooden wedge about three-quarters of an inch thick at its fat edge that jacks up the palm rest and near side of the keyboard, giving it a flat orientation. The Podium CoolPad which lets you adjust the PowerBook's keyboard rake in half-inch increments using the stackable, Lexan "tube and cylinder" risers provided. Cornell University's Ergonomics Lab suggests that you try using a negative keyboard tilt. Just turn the Podium CoolPad around and adjust the height. The Podium CoolPad measures 8 1/2 x 11 inches, weighs 1 pound. If your laptop has a contoured bottom (a first generation iBook as an example) you can remove the center supports and it will work just fine using only the two outer supports. The original (smaller) laptop CoolPad measures 8 1/4 x 6 1/2 inches. weighs 8 ounces, and was designed to easily fit in any laptop bag. Nothing to attach or assemble, just plop any laptop on the CoolPad; no velcro, no adhesive. If your CoolPad ever breaks, Road Tools will fix or replace it, -- guaranteed for life. The price is $19.95. The Podium CoolPad's price is $29.95. For more information, visit:
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Cool Mac Gear• iPod 1G-2G • iPod 3G • iPod 4G • iPod Mini • PowerBook-iBook • Keyboard Skins • Garageband
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