Hidden hearing by Cynaps

Hidden hearing by Cynaps

If everything at CES actually worked (i.e., no concepts) and you won one of those grab-whatever-you-can-in-fifteen-minutes shopping sprees, what would you snag? We've worked out a short list:

The Cynaps Bone Conduction Bluetooth Headset is the perfect way to take noisy calls on a crowded city sidewalk (or CES exhibition hall floor). I tested the device out in person (it was embedded inside a baseball cap) and it's awesome; just push your tragus—that little flap on your outer ear—closed, and you can hear audio coming in clear as day, transmitted through your bones.

The Cynaps is currently up for pledging on IndieGogo, and at $9,000 of $20,000 with 20 days left to go at press time, it could go either way. I should also point out that I'm of the opinion that they need to add a throat mic, though they claim their external mic picks up voices fine.

PiqX Imaging's XCANEX portable scanner was one of the few devices on the showroom floor that actually looked like an industrial design project.

The portable, fold-flat device clips onto your laptop, and can then be used to "scan" (via snapshot) documents, books, receipts, you name it. The included software auto-rotates the image to the correct orientation while OCR sorts out the text, making it an easy, and quick, push-button solution. Also a great way to quickly scan ID sketches. Totally wish I had one.

Along the same lines as the Pebble, the I'm Watch transfers e-mail and text notifications to your wrist and allows you to control phone calls and music.

Innovega's iOptik combination of a "smart" contact lens and eyeglasses work together to provide an augmented reality view of the world.

The second half of the video below shows you what the wearer would actually see; what I'm really hot for is the turn-by-turn directions you'll see around 1:51.

This will seem a little silly, but as someone constantly battling desktop clutter, I could go for a My Key O Keyboard Organizer, a Bluetooth keyboard that flips up to reveal storage space for all the small items constantly clogging your desk.

The "tablet/smartphone rest" model is a bit much for me, but I could definitely fill those interior compartments and use the pen holes.