Every so often I accumulate a desk full of gadgets that might not warrant a full review, so I save up a few and run them together.
This particular group doesn't really have anything in common, but I think each of these gadgets is worthy of your consideration.
- Keyport Pivot
How do you carry your keys?
Almost everyone carries keys. I have car keys, house keys, gate keys, shed keys and work keys.
I used to carry my keys on a ring. For a while, I hooked them onto a belt loop of my jeans.
Lately I've been toting my keys on a Keyport Pivot. It's kind of like a pocketknife, but instead of blades, it holds keys and more.
Besides being a nifty way to hold your keys, the Keyport Pivot can also hold a multitool, a pocket knife, a flashlight, a pen, a flash drive and more.
It all folds up into a neat bundle that will fit in your pocket a lot easier than all those items separately.
The basic Keyport Pivot costs $19.99. You can add snap-on modules on either side such as a flashlight ($9.99) or knife ($16.99).
The area that holds keys can also hold inserts including a pen ($8.99), a USB flash drive (starting at $12.99) and multitools ($12).
Finally, you can add expansion kits to hold more keys or inserts for $9.99.
- Airpocket
The Airpocket is a small bag designed to sit in the seatback pocket.
I used to fly for work pretty frequently. Working in IT, I always carried my laptop bag on the plane, usually under the seat at my feet.
That's fine until you actually want to pull out your laptop during the flight and you need to be a contortionist to get things set up once your flight is underway.
The Airpocket ($68, www.theairpocket.com) is an organizer bag that's designed to fit in the seatback pocket for easy access.
The Airpocket isn't designed to replace your whole laptop bag. It is really only for the items you'll need during your flight.
My laptop is a 13-inch Macbook Pro, and it barely fits in the Airpocket. It is also perfect for magazines, books or your travel documents.
It has a shoulder strap that's long enough for me to comfortably carry it across my chest like a small messenger bag. It can also slip over the extended handle of your roller bag for a quick and secure trip through the airport.
The Airpocket measures 12 by-10-by-2.5 inches, and it weighs 1 pound. It's made of stretchy neoprene (like a wetsuit).
I've been carrying my laptop to work in the Airpocket for the last few weeks. It's not much bigger than my laptop, but I don't need it to hold the power supply or other items.
This would be a great gift for a frequent flyer.
- TaoTronics LED desk lamp with wireless charger
I love gadgets that do more than one thing, and I have an iPhone 8 Plus, so imagine how happy I was to fiind the TaoTronics LED desk lamp with wireless charger ($41.99, www.amazon.com).
We tend to keep the overhead lights off in my office, so we all have to provide our own light. I have a few LED lights around my cubicle, and the LED desk lamp with wireless charger looks right at home on my desk.
The lamp has settings for five colors of light, from warm to cool (3000K-6500K), and seven brightness levels. Its output is 410 lumens of light—pretty close to a 40-watt bulb.
The lamp rotates on the base and is adjustable in almost any direction.
The round base houses a wireless phone charger that can fast-charge compatible Android phones at 10 watts. For compatible iPhones, the charge rate is 5 watts, which is slower, but it still does a decent job.
The base is a great place to set the phone when I get to my desk.
And, if you don't have a phone with wireless charging, the lamp has a USB port on the back to charge other devices.
Explore further: Gadgets: Customizable tool puts order in your pocket