Cool smartphone and tablet accessories from CES 2012

The list of tablets and smartphones that we got to play with at CES 2012 is so long that we nearly forgot that a whole bunch of cool accessories were also shown off during the show. Their total number is also impressive, but here is a list of the ones, which caught our attention. 

Along with the AR.Drone, the guys at Parrot had also brought their Zik headphones to the expo. And although they don't look like anything more than an ordinary pair of Bluetooth headphones, they actually combine an extraordinary set of features. First and foremost, the built-in microphone allows you to make phone calls while still wearing them. Additionally, an accelerometer senses when you take them off and automatically pauses your music. And if that is not enough, add the touch-sensitive controls to the equation and the NFC support for easy pairing and you end up with a truly unique product in your hands. They sound really good too!

Go Dap 4.0 is one of those products that only audiophile buffs are likely to purchase. Here is why: it is an external digital-to-analog processor and headphone audio amplifier tailored for the iPhone. Oh, and it doubles its thickness too. That is because it also has a battery of its own, which doubles the battery life of the iPhone, if needed. That aside, the Go Dap 4.0 should deliver superior sound that avid music listeners will appreciate. Sadly, this one is only sold in Japan for now.

The list of audio-related accessories is not over yet! The yurbuds were also shown off at CES 2012, and what makes them special is that they can stay attached to your ears for hours without falling out. Or so they claimed. But what added a good dose of credibility to their words was the gymnast who was doing tricks on stage while wearing a pair of yurbuds, and sure enough, they stayed firmly in place. If you are the sporty kind of person who needs a pair of reliable and comfortable earbuds, the yurbuds are available for $59.

Simple, yet brilliant – that is what we have to say about the Wrapsol Grip Pad for tablets. It is a simple adhesive film that you stick to the back of your tablet so that it won't slip when you have it resting against a given surface. Theoretically, it should prevent gravity from pulling down on your tablet even when it is tilted at an 80 degree angle. The Grip Pad comes in handy if you enjoy using a tablet while sitting and having it resting against your legs. And although it was demonstrated on an iPad, it should be usable on other tablets too. 

The iCade Jr and iCade Mobile are made by the same folks who came up with the iCade for the iPad. And what is different about them is that the two new accessories are tailored for use with the iPhone instead. The iCade Jr is like a tiny arcade cabinet, hence its name, and honestly, it has a heartwarming retro look. The iCade Mobile, on the other hand feels a bit more modern. It has a d-pad, four action buttons, four shoulder buttons, and a housing in the middle where the iPhone slips in with ease.

What has an 1.55-inch display, runs Android, and you wear on your wrist? The I'm Watch, of course! It is a watch (d'oh) that does not only act as a phone in a true Dick Tracy fashion, but also lets you use a number of handy apps, such as Facebook, Twitter, Weather, Stocks, and News. It has a few drawbacks, however, namely that it costs an excess of $300 and that its battery won't last longer than a day and a half, but hey, it is a neat concept that we hope to see developed further in the future.