Top-rated reviews of the week (pictures)
We're getting to the final stretch of the year, but that doesn't mean CNET editors didn't have some noteworthy products to review. This week, we have not one but two toasters, a pretty impressive gaming laptop and a tasty sound bar in the mix.
Spacious-sounding bar hits sweet spot
The Yamaha YAS-203 breaks free of most of the performance constraints of budget sound bars, sounding bigger, more spacious, more dynamic and clearer than anything near its price.
A steep price for steady performance
At $100, this toaster is a tough splurge to justify, but not an impossible one, given that it gets the job done quite well.
HP's Omen offers high design, high performance
HP shakes up the world of gaming laptops with its unique-looking and highly portable Omen. It offers very capable performance in PC games, despite being stuck with a last-gen graphics card.
Salient Eye is the simplest of home security solutions
As far as free theft-deterrent and motion-notification systems go, Salient Eye has the lock on simplicity.
Garmin's advanced navigator doesn't fight your smartphone, it works with it
The Garmin Nuvi 2689 LMT is a strong-performing navigator with loads of smart features that help reduce driver errors and distraction, but in a world filled to the brim with smartphone nav apps, most will never know its charms.
Boast-worthy toast from the Frigidaire Professional Toaster
The Frigidaire Professional toasts as evenly as any model we tested. It takes the guesswork out of getting your bread to the level of brownness you desire.