Altec Lansing
XT1 Portable Audio System: $130
www.alteclansing.com

Laptop speakers are, most often, miserable when it comes to reproducing sound with any semblance of quality or volume. Quite simply, free space in those diminutive form factors is scant, and speakers already consume room that could otherwise be used for other purposes, especially in the most popular thin and light designs.

There’s a lot of traction behind Intel’s Centrino initiative and now AMD’s Turion 64 design, both of which pitch lots of performance and wireless connectivity into small packages. And now that companies such as ASUS are manufacturing whitebook solutions for the VAR, there’s more incentive than ever to dabble in notebooks. But how do you get around the audio limitations of those fabricated laptops?

To begin, Creative Labs sells an Audigy 2 ZS in PCMCIA form. It has great sound, plenty of outputs, and is reasonably priced. For customers who really care about sound, you can offer that card with a set of Altec Lansing’s XT1 speakers. They come with a carrying case, so you know the XT1 is meant to move. Moreover, power originates from USB and not a battery pack or AC adapter. As such, you can’t expect home theater-level sound—the XT1 musters a humble 750mW per channel of power. The four cumulative 28mm micro drivers do deliver respectable sound, though, with a stated frequency response between 100 Hz and 20 kHz.

One of the set’s coolest features is an auxiliary input jack that allows a second device to drive the speakers. There’ve been many times I’ve returned to my hotel room after a trade show and wished to play music from an MP3 player out loud. The XT1 facilitates that connection, drawing power from USB to offer better flexibility.

Hawking Technology
Net-Vision 802.11g HNC720G: $340
www.hawkingtech.com

Rather than configre a complicated, expensive closed-circuit camera network, why not leverage the 128-bit security features and performance of 802.11g to make monitoring information accessible around the globe? The stand-alone HNC720G can stream video at up to 30 frames per second, pan 270 degrees, tilt 90 degrees, and activate upon detecting motion. The package includes software for recording video to a hard drive and controlling camera behavior remotely. Granted, it’s no substitute for an actual alarm system when valuables are at stake. The HNC720G is better suited to making sure nobody’s touching a locked workstation after hours.

Logitech
Harmony Remote 880 Advanced Universal Remote: $249
www.logitech.com

Today’s media centers are more complicated than ever. You have a receiver, a DVD player, a home theater PC for gaming, the increasingly ubiquitous DVR, and perhaps a dedicated cable box. Remote controls pile up quickly, and nobody can seem to remember what each one does. Universal remotes designed to combat the clutter always seem to fall short one way or another in performing all functions well.

Not so with Logitech’s new Harmony Remote 880, the latest model in an immensely successful line of universal products. Rather than focus exclusively on establishing device compatibility, the Harmony is activity-based. A Web interface makes programming the remote easy and, according to the devices you input, macros are configured to turn on the TV, DVD, and stereo receiver every time you hit the Watch DVD button, for example. Two megabytes of onboard memory store up to 14 days of programming information and the data is provided free of charge. If the 880 is a tad too pricey, all of Logitech’s other models support the same listing feature as well.

Additions to the 880 include a color LCD screen, a feature guaranteed to impress customers used to boring monochrome remotes, a motion sensor that activates the remote’s backlight when you pick it up, and a customizable background for the color screen. This is also Logitech’s first offering equipped with rechargeable batteries and an included cradle. A quick search for comparable competition turns up Pronto’s TSU 6000, an admittedly svelte touch-screen color LCD remote that costs closer to $1,000. Logitech’s Harmony 880 is the value winner here. It’s also much easier to use, specifically targeting HD and PVR applications that may require an aspect ratio change to match a certain program.

Kensington
Notebook Expansion Dock and Stand: $149
www.kensington.com

Not too long ago, we covered a Kensington notebook docking station that used USB 2.0 to enable connectivity with a host of other devices, including Ethernet. The same company is now offering an improved version of that device with a built-in stand to better orient an attached notebook. The result is a better thought out design capable of turning a laptop into a desktop and simultaneously freeing up desk space.

Kensington employs a technology it calls SmartFit to make the stand height-adjustable according to your viewing preferences. The dock is completely detachable in the event that it’s needed elsewhere. As with the prior model, docking functions include 5.1-channel audio output using a trio of 1/8” mini-jacks, Ethernet, USB 2.0, a parallel port, and serial connections.

The real value proposition here lies in buying employees a notebook and a docking station instead of a notebook and desktop workstation. By making the Expansion Dock and Stand easy to use, customers are less likely to run into problems when they regularly connect their laptops at work. Should a problem arise, Kensington does cover the unit with a two year warranty and free technical support.