Hasta La Gadget!

It’s nearly the end of the year. There are two ways to go about this. We can either present you with a list of the year’s best gadgets, highlighting all of the wonderful innovations that have come out in the past year–or we can go the other way with it. I ask you this: which route sounds more fun?

With that in mind, we present to you the finalists for Gearlog’s first annual “Most Useless Gadget of the Year.” I did a quick informal tally and gathered together some candidates for the list, four in all. If you don’t see your (least) favorite on there, don’t worry, you can always fill it in on the poll or send me your candidate via Twitter (@bheater).

After the jump, a poll–and a little bit about each candidate.

Apple has completely dominated the consumer tablet space in the past year. In fact, by most accounts, the company more or less created the space. Before the creation of the iPad, such a thing seemed like little more than a pipedream. Tablets had long been the realm of very specific verticals.

While companies are introducing their own tablets by the boatload (only a tiny fraction of which have come to the market, of course), many have eschewed the prospect of direct competition with Apple, instead opting to target other markets–markets like business.

Things aren’t looking to rosy for the competition on that front, either. According to new numbers from analyst group ChangeWave, of the 14 percent of companies who plan to buy a tablet in the first quarter of next year, 78 percent plan to buy an Apple. Dell and Apple are tied for a distant second at nine percent each, HP has eight, and poor old Samsung is trailing behind at four.

Of those opting for a tablet, 73 percent use it for Internet access (that number seems a little low, actually…), 69 percent for checking e-mail, 67 percent for working outside the office. There’s been a pretty big jump for those businesses that are using the tablet as a “laptop replacement”–that number has risen 13 percent to 38. 

A sign of things to come, perhaps?

Need some last-minute stocking stuffers? Here’s a pretty great one for a pretty great price from (who else?) the folks at Woot. For a limited time, you can nap Jakks Pacific’s EyeClops Mini Projector. This little gadget can project video from an iPhone or iPod up to 60 inches.

The Eyeclops also works with DVD players, video games, and a bunch of handheld devices. There’s a pivoting arm, volume control, and focal point adjustor. This kid-friendly also doesn’t get hot.

Woot has the projector for $24.99 (plus $5 shipping). You’ll also need to spring for RCA cables and some “D” batteries.

Honestly, I think most of us would be pretty surprised if the next generation iPad shipped without front and rear facing cameras. Apple has been pushing FaceTime in a big way since the launch of the iPhone 4, but let’s face it, if that technology is really going to break, it’s going to be on a screen like the iPad’s. Teleconferencing on the iPhone feels like a novelty–on the iPad’s nine inch display, I image it would feel a lot more like the future.

The latest set of rumored leaks confirm the technology. Third-party suppliers Genius Electronic Optical Co. Ltd. and Largan Precision Co. Ltd are confirming that the new iPad will, in fact, include two cameras for teleconferencing.

The list of rumors pulled together by Reuters also points to a new iPad that is “slimmer, lighter and [has] a better resolution display.”

For as little as $30, you can equip your car with the 120-volt power that should have come standard. Get the Kensington Power Inverter with USB Power Port, $35 street, if you want compact size and convenience. It provides 75 watts of AC power (90 watts peak) plus a USB jack for phone or iPod charging. The Kensington inverter plugs directly into the car’s 12-volt socket (no power cable) and is so small and light (0.3 pounds) that it will barely be noticed in a business traveler’s carry-on bag.