Altec Lansing already offered a single housing monaural speaker in its Orbit line of portable speakers. But now it's doubled up with the latest model, the Orbit Stereo--a pair of USB-powered speakers that snap together into one long tube when not in use, so you can tuck them smoothly into a suitcase or laptop bag.
While the Orbit Stereo speakers aren't tiny, they are fairly lightweight, weighing in at 12.8 ounces, and you don't have to carry around any sort of extra power adapter. They also cost an affordable $49.99, which is $15 to $30 more than what you'd pay for the mono Orbit USB speakers.
If you're looking for something truly compact that sounds OK and puts out more sound than your typical laptop speakers, those single-speaker USB Orbits may be a better bet. But if you want a little bit more punch to your presentations or travel entertainment and true stereo for watching movies or music in your hotel room (or wherever), the Orbit Stereo is the way to go.
To be clear, these are computer-only speakers--the only audio source can be a Windows PC or Mac with a free USB port. There's no auxiliary input for plugging in a music player or smartphone.
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