A cheap, portable method of keeping your drinks cool or simply a waste of money?

A cheap, portable method of keeping your drinks cool or simply a waste of money? That is the question at hand as I review CoolIT Systems new USB Beverage Cooler. It claims to, seconds after plugging it in, cool down to 45f and provide a simple way to keep your drinks cool.

It does, in fact, cool down to 45f very quickly. As for keeping your drinks cool it seems to only do well at this if the cup holding the drink has a flat bottom so as to provide more surface area contact with the cooler. Your normal cans of coke or 32oz cups from places such as 7-11, however, are granted almost no benefit in keeping colder longer.

Canned drinks drop to room temperature ever so slightly slower than without using it at all, perhaps a few minutes difference at most during testing. Foam cups or thermos style cups seemed to gain nothing from the cooler at all (no doubt due to their insulation).

What may be the biggest downside of all, however, is that the cooler itself is fairly large yet only is capable of holding relatively small cups. It also produces a very audible whirring sort of noise, much like a mini-fridge.

It does not seem capable of keeping your drinks cool for any length of time. A fun novelty perhaps, but with little function.