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Google has launched a new option for site owners using its Friend Connect service. Besides the usual friends and discussion widgets, sites can now have a "social bar" which can sit atop, or at the bottom of their page. This facilitates user log-ins, as well as letting you get a quick view at the latest activity including members who have signed in and comments they've left.

Google is pushing the new bar as an alternative to putting some of the other Friend Connect page elements on your site. For instance, having this installed without the other widgets … Read more

Truth be told, sound bar speakers don't sound very good.

That hasn't stopped them from selling like gangbusters. People happily buy the fantasy of single-speaker surround sound, mostly because they don't want to deal with all the wires and hassles of a bona fide 5.1-channel home theater.

I don't blame them. Even stereo, HT 2.0 systems are too intrusive for some buyers. Enter Canton's nifty CD 90 SB sound bar, it looks and sounds terrific.

I have to admit sound bars can look pretty slick mounted under a flat screen display, but there is the tricky matter of mounting the thing and running wires through walls. I suppose that's why most sound bars wind up sitting on a shelf under the display.

My real beef with sound bars is they don't sound all that good. The worst offenders are the ones that try to do some sort of fake surround sound. True, the better ones spread the sound well out to the sides of the room. Some project sound forward, towards the listener. But it's never as good as real 5.1.

Most sound bars' "surround" is only heard when you're sitting directly centered relative to the display and speaker; once you're over to the left or right the surround effect fades away. Worse yet, the sound quality of these things is iffy: it's either harsh or dull (most sound bars don't have tweeters). Mind you, sound bars aren't cheap: the better ones sell for between $1,000 and $1,800. For that much dough you could buy a really decent 5.1 speaker/subwoofer package with way better sound.

Granted, sound bar sound is passable when you're watching a movie, but try listening to music, and you'll realize just how lame the sound is. … Read more

Typically, the pitch behind single-speaker sound bars is that they'll recreate the immersive experience of a true 5.1 home theater system, but without all the wires and hassle associated with such a system.

The Canton CD 90 SB is decidedly different than the average sound bar: it doesn't do surround sound, it requires an AV receiver, and you'll still have to run three sets of speaker wire to the unit. The upside is that it's one of the best-sounding speaker bars we've heard, especially when it comes to music.

With a $650 suggested retail … Read more

In a world of instant gratification--faster loading speeds, quicker navigation, hot key combinations, and so on--who likes to wait for a browser to launch and then navigate from a home page to the Web site you really want to visit? This nifty little add-on will help remove these speed bumps from your surfing.

MuvEnum Address Bar (the name doesn't roll effortlessly off the tongue, but it's the result that counts) installs a URL address field and Go button to your system tray. It launches when you boot, so it's there even before you open a browser, ready … Read more

Occasionally you find a program that isn't essential, but you find ways to use it just because it makes you smile. Title Bar Changer Studio has a few serious uses, but it is worth it just for the surprise factor. The dialog-size interface includes numerous tools simply designed to alter the text on program title bars. It's so easy to use, there's no need for the usual Help file. Function button labels include all the direction most will need.

Operation is a mere matter of choosing a listed open application title, typing in new text, and pressing … Read more

As we mentioned in our CES 2009 home audio preview, the trend in home audio over the last few years has been toward simplicity, and sound bars have promised to deliver the full surround experience from a single speaker. In reality, it never quite sounds that good, but the Polk Audio SurroundBar systems are generally better than most. The newly announced SurroundBar SDA Instant Home Theater aims to improve on previous models by making the speaker even smaller and adding a wireless subwoofer. Here are the details.

Key features of the Polk Audio SurroundBar SDA Instant Home Theater :

Philips doesn't have a big presence at CES this year but it does appear to have some noteworthy products, especially when it comes to its new line of home-theater sound bars. The company's announced four new sound-bar packages, each geared to a slightly different target consumer.

Here's the rundown of the various products:

Model: The HSB2351

*All-in-one sound bar features integrated DVD player and subwoofer with 300 watts of total power

*Space-saving sleek design fits easily on an entertainment center or can be mounted on the wall

*Dolby Virtual Speaker for theater audio experience and HDMI 1080p … Read more

Sound bars, which are designed to sit below a flat-panel TV and simulate surround sound from their compact chassis, are all the rage these days. With that in mind, Sharp has introduced two new 2.1-channel sound bars, the HT-SB300 and HT-SB200. The HT-SB200 will be available later this month for $249.99 (MSRP) while the slightly more feature-rich HT-SB300 will arrive in April with an MSRP of $299.99.

Both models are wall-mountable or they can be placed on a TV stand. According to Sharp, they should be paired with TVs 32-inches or larger (preferably with one of its … Read more

Let's face it, setting up a home theater with five speakers and a subwoofer is a hassle.

Home-theater-in-a-box systems ease the pain somewhat, but you still have to run wires to five speakers and a subwoofer. Single-speaker sound bar systems? Sure, they eliminate the tangle of wires, but they're just glorified stereo bars and never really sound all that good. You can get much better sound from a decent set of stereo speakers.

You could put together a much better sounding system with Integra's DSR-4.8 DVD/AV receiver ($600) and a nice pair of speakers and possibly a subwoofer. It's a stereo receiver with 50 watts per channel with a built-in DVD/DVD-Audio/SACD player; video connectivity includes a 1080p HDMI output, one HDMI input, and two composite inputs. (You can multiply the usefulness of that single HDMI input by adding an inexpensive HDMI switcher that multiplies the number of available outputs.)

Let's compare and contrast an Integra DSR-4.8 based system with Yamaha's YSP-4000 single-speaker surround system ($1,800). The Yamaha is self-powered so it doesn't need an AV receiver, but it doesn't make much bass. So, you'll need to add a subwoofer, like Yamaha's YST-FSW150 ($280) and a DVD or Blu-ray player.

Fifty watts may not seem like much, but Integra components sound pretty good; pair the DSR-4.8 with efficient speakers you'd get a big sound. Klipsch's RB-61 bookshelf speakers ($499/pair) would be ideal and make better and more powerful bass than the YSP-4000, so some of you won't have to get a sub. But if you're thinking about going whole hog, I like Klipsch's Sub-12 subwoofer ($500). That's all together a $1,600 MSRP system, so it's at least $500 less expensive than the Yamaha system.

The Integra/Klipsch system would be way, way more dynamic, with vastly greater clarity for movies and music (single-speaker systems never quite sound right for music). To be fair, the Yamaha big claim to fame is its ability to produce a facsimile of surround sound from the single speaker, and it's the best of its type (I've reviewed a ton of single-speaker surround systems for CNET--both units with built-in video connectivity and those without--so I should know). The Integra/Klipsch is strictly stereo, but it'll be really good stereo. Big and wide, with a great sense of depth and spatiality.… Read more