Editors Best Tech of 2011: The coolest techcessories

While we love our gadgets, we also love those clever and cool tech accessories that make them work better, more efficiently, or more effortlessly. Here, we present our very favorite techessories of 2011.









PlugBug
Liz: A brilliant little adapter from twelvesouth that let's you charge your Macbook and iPhone or iPad from one socket. Total travel necessity for me now.




Motorola Roadster
Kristen: I'm all about going hands-free in the car, and the Motorola Roadster makes that happen while keeping amazing sound integrity. It's so much more than a bluetooth or a speaker phone, giving you talk-to-text capabilities just like your own personal assistant.




Pop Phone Headsets
Liz: Everything old is new again. In lieu of a bluetooth device, go back in time with a headset like grandma had. (Or, uh, some of us had back in the day.) Remember how good it felt to scrunch it between your ear and shoulder?





Mophie Juice Pack
Kristen: I can't tell you how many times my Mophie juice pack has saved my butt when I'd otherwise be stuck with a dead cell phone. While they're not new, I just started using them this year and now I never leave home without mine.






Sol Republic Headphones
Liz: Kudos to this new company which is developing Monster quality headphones without the monster prices. They would know--they used to be the guys behind Monster.


The Sonos Music System
Liz: This year we were introduced to Sonos, which may be the greatest all-in-one wireless speaker system. The Play:5 is the original, but 2011 saw the launch of the smaller, sleeker Play:3, should you want great sound but still need a little space left in your home for the kids' stuff.




Echo Touchscreen GlovesLiz: Touch screen gloves have come a long way in even a year since we started seeing them. I'd like these whether or not I had to take them off to text in the cold. But I don't.





Belkin Conserve
Kristen: Belkin built a better power outlet with the Conserve, and saving money and decreasing my carbon footprint are two reasons love it. A third reason: it turns off standby power mode automatically. In other words, it thinks for me, which as a busy mom of four, I can realllly appreciate.

More 2011 Editors' Tech Picks:

Editors' Best Tech: Coolest Family-Friendly Video Games
Editors' Best Tech: Coolest Productivity Tools
Editors' Best Tech: Coolest Shopping Sites and Apps
Editors' Best Tech: Coolest Grade School Apps
Editors' Best Tech: Coolest Apps for Tweens and Big Kids
Editors' Best Tech: Coolest Preschool Apps
Editors' Best Tech: Coolest Kids' Gadgets
Editors' Best Tech: Coolest Photo Apps and Services
Editors' Best Tech: The Coolest Websites of 2011
Editors' Best Tech: Coolest Gadget Cases