I had a spectacular chance to attend the CES convention and see all the new technology (3D devices and E-readers) but I wanted to bring you something different. You can read all about those groovy devices in your local newspaper or online tech-zine.

No, I wandered off the beaten path and found Seven deadly winners for useless categories that I just made up. But enough about that, let’s get on with the show.

Best Star Trek device – Maker Bot

Imagine a machine that you make and then program to make other things for you. Sound complicated? It’s not really. The big brains at MakerBot have designed a 3D printer that will render a 3D object. That’s right. You can design your own action figures, chess pieces, or foosball players, just to give you a few ideas. The device sells for $950 and has been flying off the shelves. According to the developers they “are constantly sold-out.”

Best Headphones – iFrogz Ear Pollution CS-40

I tested these headphones walking around the floor at CES and they were one of the most comfortable over the ear headphones I’ve ever worn. The pads are soft cushiony foam that don’t put too much pressure on your ears. I wore them all day and all the way home with ZERO ear fatigue. The sound is superb and their worth twice as much as the $39.99 retail price. Oh yeah, and they look hot too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Where the hell did I put that product – Phone Halo

Last year, it was GPS keychains, this year it’s Phone Halo. What is Phone Halo? It’s essentially a guardian angel for your phone. Utilizing BlueTooth, a remote and an app, it will beep when you are too far away from your phone. Oh and it will also ring your phone when you can’t find it. It does this by turning your ringer on and activating it. That’s right kids. Even when your ringer is off it will TURN IT ON and ring it. Also, if you left it someplace the night before (who hasn’t been WASTED and left their phone), you can log on to phonehalo’s website and find the GPS coordinates for your phone. Believe me, I need this! Phone Halo officially launches March 21, 2010.

Best use of a REAL artist – Skull Candy

Yes the Skull Candy booth had a lot going on. Hot chicks, a Nascar video game inside a full size Nascar and of course cool headphones. But what dragged me in was Taylor Reeve, an artist from San Diego working her first CES convention and working with Skull Candy for the first time. She painted new pieces for Skull Candy every day. The amazing part is that she never knew what she would be painting until her brush hit the canvas. She was working on this piece when we rolled up on her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best use of a toilet - ConnectInPrivate.com

The visual aspect of this display totally caught my attention. The fact that it took up 60% of their booth (and that I had to use the bathroom) brought me in for a closer inspection. ConnectInPrivate.com’s servers are based in Toronto and offers “off-shore” protection to your computer via their virtual private network (VPN). In essence, you connect to the internet “through” their servers so they can monitor anyone trying to monitor you. It’s that added layer of protection in this cybernetic age of online predators, botnets and hackers trying to steal your identity.

 

 

 

Best use of gogo dancers – Ed Hardy Booth

Despite my aversion to everything Ed Hardy (based on the douchebag factor alone) I have to give the Best use of gogo dancers to Christian Audigier. Of course, it helps that I could not find gogo dancers at any other booth and I did my damndest to find more. The girls were hot, the DJ was on it and the booth was colorful. I get distracted easily. The products were cool too. The usual iPhone covers and headphones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Best iPhone app – yurtopia yurbuds and yurphones

Finally, an iPhone app with real-world effects. Ok so this app is pretty much a one-time use app but the effects are long lasting. Yurbuds are an earbud headphone adapter and they really work! In fact, they work so well, I had to turn the volume down on my mp3 player once I plugged them in. And that’s a big selling point for the $20 earbuds. The only problem I had was when I fitted them on my own earbuds. A fraction bigger than the earbuds supplied by yurbuds, they didn’t quite fit as well, but that’s hardly a downside.