Recently we came across another interesting and potential useful product that we wanted to share our thoughts on. The product is called TuneFan from Macally. This company went ahead and combined two somewhat unlikely and unexpected features; a laptop fan and speakers, to come up with a very unique product. TuneFan is a laptop cooling station, which will also add an extra speaker to that which is already equipped on your laptop.
Features
- USB Bus Powered Speakers and Cooling fan
- AC/DC adapter included to boost the audio performance
- Line-in jack to support other audio or MP3 Players
- Compatible with any laptop computers 17” and under
- On/Off switch for cooling fan and amplifier
- Complete 2.1 audio system with superior sound quality to accentuates your favorite music
- Ultimate thermal solution to cool down your notebook
- High efficiency and high performance Class D amplifier
- High quality speaker Drive: Right/Left 2” 2W x2, Subwoofer 2 1/4” 10W
- Supports both USB 2.0 and USB 1.1
System Requirements
- Mac OS X 10.1 to 10.6 or later
- Windows 2000/XP/Vista and Windows 7
- Any laptop computers with USB port, 60MB HDD space, and 512 MB DRAM system memory available
First Impressions
Starting with the inviting and sleek retail package we had high hopes for the product inside. The stand is not heavy at all which is surprising when you see how sturdy it really is. The design has a built in handle for easy mobility, however the stand is pretty sizable so you will most likely have it on your desk or near a bed for those late night detuning sessions. It’s made out of strong plastics and looks smooth and sophisticated and not at all like As Seen On TV gimmicky products. It’s large fan hardly makes any noise, and the blue glowing light makes it look cosmic.
To start using the Macally TuneFan simply place your laptop on top of it, where it will firmly sit in place with the help from the front cut out that is lined with rubber. Then plug in via USB cord and your laptop should recognize the device right away. We’ve tested this on Windows 7 and Apple Macintosh and no drivers were necessary, pretty much plug-and-play all the way!
You can use this stand either on top of a desk or while holding the laptop on your lap. If you have ever held your laptop on your lap you know how warm those tend to get, so having this fan will really make life more enjoyable for your laptop. The stand is not flat, it does have a little incline to it which makes it even more convenient when sitting on the couch or in bed.
Now that we have covered the base functionality – fan, we want to move on to the entertainment piece, in the case of the TuneFan this being the built in speaker.
First, it’s important to note that you have the ability to power only the fan, only the speakers or speakers and fan. Also, the stand has a separate audio input in case you have devices such as an iPod to connect. Of course you’re wondering how is the volume adjusted, simply from your laptop as you normally would. We found that although the use of only the fan can done through the USB power, in order to get better use out of the speakers using the power plug is the way to go. It sounds great!!
Wrap-Up
Overall we are impressed with this stand – it feels solid and sounds great! As a daily laptop user I would have been just happy with the stand that keep my machine cool, but throw in the speaker, and the blue light and my buyer’s remorse after spending $99 for this device was not existent.
More: Macally.com | Macally TUNEFAN 2.1 Stereo Speakers with Subwoofer and Cooling Fan
I love gadgets that simplify my life. Rolling in the fan and speakers into one baseboard is great. Less cluster to deal with on my desk while my notebook can purr away like a kitty. Now I just need to make sure the speakers can belt out my electronica to my satisfaction! Thanks for the review!
I’ve been using TuneFan for some time now, and even gave one as a late Xmas present. It does everything that’s advertised and because i use my laptop on the lap a lot i don’t have to feel bad that it may overheat if I’m using a blanket. It a very neat device, I’m glad Macally came out with it.
Nice idea but can’t track one down in the UK at the moment.
This is by far such a great solution for so many uses for a laptop. . . Cooing + 2.1 loud speakers will make any laptop into a usable media player. Love it. . . .