Courtesy of Soundmasters

Has Techeye ever mentioned the time we almost froze to death on the roof of the local Sigma Tau Delta sorority house? No? We were attempting an unprecedented mid-winter abseiling perv, you see. Equipped with a sackful of climbing equipment and a trench coat, we had successfully scaled the icy building’s treacherous north face when suddenly a …

Wait … what are we doing? Wasting words, that’s what. The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show ended last week, yes, but there’s plenty to write about. Indeed, CES introduced such a cerebrum-discombobulating variety of new gadgets that we could probably fill several rolls of toilet paper with news of mobile phones alone. Not that we’d do that, of course – it tends to confuse WBJ’s scarcely continent copyediting monkeys.

Anyway, the chances are that you’ll read about the biggest reveals on CNN, Engadget or one of those other “respectable” news sites. That’s why Techeye is focusing on some of the small-but-saucy gadgets unveiled at CES.

That certainly characterizes eyewear-maker Vuzix’s Smart Glasses (vuzix.com). Think of these as a personal heads-up display, incorporating “input and output hologram structures” on the lens surface, and thereby adding virtual information to the everyday world. Augmented reality, in other words.

Don’t expect to see your yuppy neighbor wearing Smart Glasses any time soon though. Vuzix isn’t talking price yet, the release date is “fall 2012” and the firm is targeting the commercial and industrial sectors to start. Still, consumer sales will follow soon enough, and then we’ll finally realize the dream – visions of synchronized belly dancers, whole squadrons of them gyrating knee-deep in velvety béarnaise sauce, superimposed over the banalities of everyday life …

Oops, Techeye got a bit lost in our happy place there. Sorry about that.

Courtesy of Solarfocus

Another item which deserves a bit of press is the SolarKindle, a solar-charged lighted cover from SolarFocus (solarmio.com). Ok, “deserves” is a stretch. The SolarKindle is only useful for people who own a Kindle (like Techeye) and whose Kindle is the right size (unlike Techeye). Also, the solar panel may not last long in your gym bag / brief case / sporran, and having to leave your e-reader in direct sunlight for hours on end seems like an iffy prospect.

But whatever. The SolarKindle can charge your Kindle and it gives you the means to read without disturbing others. You can get one today, provided you’ve got $80 and a lust for (solar-powered) light.

Then there’s the FoxLo, “the world’s first palm-sized hi-fi subwoofer,” from Soundmatters (soundmatters.com). Developed by a former NASA scientist who presumably loves him some low end, the FoxLo hits the market this spring at $149.

And finally, take a gander at the iShower water-resistant shower speaker, brought to you by the good people at iDevices Consulting. The iShower is a Bluetooth-enabled device which plays music directly from Apple gear (iPhones, iPods et al.) or Android devices. Three AAA batteries gets you 15 hours of playback, and there’s even an optional anti-fog shower mirror.

A word of advice: don’t drop the iShower in the shower (whether you’re in prison or not). It’s kind of like dropping the soap, except it costs upwards of $99.99 to replace.

Courtesy of Idevices

Ever dreamed of a reality drizzled with belly dancers and béarnaise sauce? Let us know: techeye.wbj@gmail.com