Why You Can Trust CNET Get a Gogroove clip-on sound bar for laptops for $18.99
This USB-powered speaker should produce much louder, clearer audio than your built-in speakers.
Generally speaking, laptop speakers are just as bad as TV speakers -- if not worse. They're smaller, of course, and usually direct the audio down instead of forward.
Obviously you can plug in a pair of headphones, but what if you want to gather a friend or two round the laptop to watch a movie or music video? What then?!
Today's deal is what then: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Best Buy has the Accessory Genie Gogroove SonaVerse USB clip-on sound bar for $18.99 shipped (plus tax). It normally sells for $25.
This is exactly what it sounds like: a little sound bar designed to clip to the top of your laptop screen or, if you prefer, stand alongside it. In fact, it comes with an actual stand if you decide to go that route. (Unintentional bonus for clip users: It'll block your webcam for added security, because, as we all know, the government is spying on you constantly.)
The best thing about it: It's powered by USB, so you needn't deal with batteries or an AC adapter. Also, it's compatible with pretty much every laptop on the planet, MacBooks and Chromebooks included. (Macs are listed in the specs; the Chromebook compatibility is anecdotal, based on at least one Amazon reviewer.)
Speaking of reviews, I must note that they're mixed: an average of 3.8 stars from over 500 Amazon buyers. Though the most recent reviews are positive, it seems the lower scores are the result of some bad units that produced muffled or distorted sound. On the plus side, if you've got a Best Buy near you, it's easy enough to return the SonaVerse if you don't like it. Update: Because this is a Best Buy Marketplace item sold and shipped by Accessory Genie, you cannot, in fact, return it to a Best Buy store. My apologies for the error!
I think for $19 and change, this should be a terrific audio upgrade for your laptop. It won't be on par with, say, a 2.1 computer speaker system, but it will be better than what you're getting from the built-in speakers. Plus, it's travel-friendly, unlike the vast majority of desktop speakers. If you routinely use your laptop for music and movies, I'd say an upgrade is definitely in order!
Bonus deal: I've seen every James Bond movie (most of them more than once), but I must admit I've never read any of Ian Fleming's Bond novels. For a limited time, Amazon is offering 14 James Bond e-books for $1.99 each. The titles are instantly familiar and include "Casino Royale," "Goldfinger" and "The Man with the Golden Gun." The beauty of the books is you can envision Bond as whichever actor you prefer. (Connery forever!)