A Sound Attachment for Your Laptop
This year, more than 216,000 Americans cut the cord from their cable services and opted to go solo with TV and movie options available through the Internet. While the figure represents just a tiny percentage of the 100 million plus subscribers, it was enough to outpace new subscriptions for the first time since the launch of cable in 1949.
Could the laptop replace the TV? For some it already has. According to a report from Credit Suisse, almost 30 percent of Netflix subscribers aged 18-24 use Netflix in lieu of cable or satellite TV.
But it can be tough to enjoy a show with the notoriously inadequate speakers built in to most laptops. Sure, you can add a couple of speakers, but that can limit the portability of a laptop. Dragging speakers along when you move from the couch to the bed can be a problem. Philips has a solution: a laptop soundbar.
Soundbars for TVs have become popular over the past two years because they're affordable and don't have the installation requirements associated with surround sound home theater speakers. Philips takes the same affordable, convenient concept and shrinks it to fit a laptop.
The Philips Notebook Soundbar clips to the top of a laptop . A 20-inch long USB cable can be wound out of the way into the back of the soundbar. The USB connection provides both play and power, eliminating the need for a power pack or separate plug. The soundbar is about 11-inches long, two inches tall, and an inch deep. It weights just under half a pound.
The speaker comes with a carrying pouch. Philips designed it to be stowed in the side pocket of a laptop bag , but if it's just a room-to-room option, the soundbar remains securely in place.
Price $40.00 from Philips online; priced $5 less at Amazon, but temporarily sold out at the time of this post.
