Considering the amount of hours we spend on our computers at home watching iplayer, listening to music or just replaying old episodes of Howard's Way on You Tube, it's amazing how most of us still put up with the tinny sound from our laptop or computer speakers.
It must be the most neglected area of our home tech set-up, and one that US audio firm Palo Alto's new Cubik speakers are attempting to redress. These small, neat and even stylish little speakers are very simple to get up and running and most importantly produce surprisingly rich hi-fi quality sound, largely by cramming a digital signal processor, digital audio amplifier and a USB sound card on a single chip.
The angled speaker stands are a nice touch too, apparently so configured to improve sound quality from any angle. In short, a solid upgrade for your computer's sound system - like you needed more incentive to get online. £179.99, available in London Apple stores
