March 2011's Hottest Gadgets

A dozen great ideas in gear

Double Data

The iTwin dongle shares docs between any two PCs connected to the Web. With one half plugged into your home computer, its drive becomes a secure network folder. Plugged in elsewhere, the other half can read the folder's contents via an authentication key the pair sets up when coupled, so you can edit files from anywhere.

iTwin
$100; itwin.com

Smart Tint

An ambient light sensor helps the screen on this 10.1-inch tablet adapt to changing light better than other LCDs. Instead of just boosting or lowering brightness, it tweaks color balance and contrast.

Toshiba Tablet, Price not set; toshiba.com

Call The Shots

Snap group photos without setting a timer or using the "extended arm" method. This point-and-shoot pairs with an Android app to let you preview, zoom, and take pics from your phone over Wi-Fi.

Samsung SH100 $200; samsung.com

Goal-Oriented

The Synergy is the first hockey stick with adjustable weights--four of them, each five grams. Removing weight, for example, lowers the stick's center of gravity for beefier shots.

Easton Synergy EQ50, $210; eastonhockey.com

Twist Off

You can clean the Alex water bottle without a special scrubber. The stainless steel canister disassembles along a twist-open seam near its midpoint to clean or allow you to attach a larger or smaller drum.

Alex Bottle, from $26; alexbottle.com

Waterproof TV

Ciil's all-environment HDTVs are ventless, fully sealed, weatherproof flat-panels. Their aluminum casings conduct heat through a matrix of tubes on the back of the set.

Ciil Ultraview Weatherproof LCD TVs, From $2,800; ciiltech.com

Your Tunes

Customize your own earbuds instead of waiting weeks for an expensive molded set. These come with a headband that pushes silicone membranes into your ear canals and expands them to fit.

Sonomax Sculpted Ears, $200; sonomax.com

Shine On

More embedded carbon makes this microfiber wiper a dry and effective way to clean tablet screens. A plastic handle keeps your hands from reintroducing oil.

LensPen Sidekick $20; lenspen.com

Page Churner

A 3/4-horsepower motor with fewer gears gives this shredder twice the speed and strength of its predecessor. It also has tougher teeth to deliver more cutting power to its snippers.

Staples 12-Sheet High Speed Cross-Cut Shredder, $150; staples.com

Soft Rocks

Purex's fabric softener is the only one you can toss in with soap at the start. Detergent washes oilbased softeners away as if they were dirt, but these sucrose-based crystals soak into fabrics and stick.

Purex Complete Crystals Softener, $4–$6; purex.com

Ear Ring

Plantronics's new headset is the first that can tell when it's being worn, so you don't have to continually connect and disconnect it from your phone. A sensor on the grip feels when the set is on your ear and pulls your calls to the earpiece. When you take it off, calls go straight to the phone.

Plantronics Voyager PRO UC, $200; plantronics.com

Slicker Clicker

This remote doubles as a second TV screen. Its three-inch LCD lets you share a live feed with your TV, tune another channel, or use custom apps—all without interrupting your programming.

Samsung RMC30D1, Price not set; samsung.com