A dozen hot products from the 2012 International CES in Las Vegas

My first 12 products you’ll likely want from this year’s CES…if you bike, shoot video, have an iPad or iPhone, love adrenaline sports or use a computer.

The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show is overflowing with technology for every lifestyle and interest. While Apple and the iPad are never at CES, you can still find accessories for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch that take them to new levels.

Below, you’ll find ways to improve your iPad or iPhone video and audio, ways to make your iPhone help you lose pounds, and ways to enjoy more content than you can fit into your iPad’s internal memory. 

It’s not all about Apple however. Read and see some great new high end tech from Lenovo and some simple tech with Coby’s replacement for the Flip camera. There’s probably something here for everyone. 

Be sure to see all the images in the video.

• 1.       Optrix - Heavy duty iPhone case and a pair of helmet mounts let your iPhone become a waterproof and dustproof helmet cam. A special app for the iPhone records g-forces, speeds and GPS tracking to show your course, all embedded on your video.
• 2.      Ultra slim, but sturdy, Bluetooth keyboard for computer, iPad, iPhone, whatever, from Verbatim.
• 3.      A trio of Freecom portable hard drives – about the size of your hand. Nice and heavy duty. Ideal for throwing in your camera bag or suitcase. Available as 500GB, 1TB or 1.5TB with two year warranty. USB 3.0.
• 4.       A surprisingly simple solution to increase the loudness of your iPhone music with no batteries or power required. A simple megaphone for your iPhone from Simple Solutions.
• 5.       Handiest Handycam yet from Sony. Full 1080HD to SD or Memory stick or internal memory. Will detect human speech and cancel out background noise. Also takes 20.4 megapixel stills.
• 6.       Heading for the woods? Take your own personal solar power plant with you. This can power your laptop from 2 to 25 hours (depending on size) from stored charge, or even longer if used while the sun is shining. Solar panel folds for storage. No noise - no emissions. Come in appropriate green color, from UPG.
• 7.       Coby CAM5005 pocket camcorder that picks up where “Flip” left off.  2.7” touchscreen monitor makes filming easy. Internal 32GB memory and optional SD card.
• 8.       Lenovo’s Yoga - 1/2 Tablet, 1/2 ultrabook, but totally cool. Beautiful touchscreen monitor with Windows 8 and Linux dual OS. Up to 20 hours operation on one charge.
• 9.       16GB portable wireless storage for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Simultaneously shares with 3 users. Built-in battery. includes USB2.0 cable for charging and file transfer, from Kingston.
• 10.   Freedom mic from Scosche acts as a Bluetooth lavalier with your iPhone so you can record high quality audio from 33 feet away. The unit can also start and stop video as well as shoot stills from the same distance.
• 11.   iBike Powerhouse takes your iPhone and converts it into a personal fitness coach for biking. Customize your program to increase endurance, lose weight or shape your butt. Goal specific programs have been designed for real people, not elite cyclists, by fitnes expert Hunter Allen. iPhone holder works on stationery or road bikes and is weatherproof.
• 12.   H4N Handy recorder from Samson, features 4 track recorder with X/Y stereo mikes as well as dual XLR inputs for 4 track simultaneous recording. Records 96kHz WAV files or MP3’s up to 320kbps. Reference speaker lets you check recordings and SD/SDHC cards are used for storage. Tripod mount enables unit to be used as mic for your camcorder/camera

I plan to do further in-depth road tests on all the above products, so subscribe to my column or stop back and catch up later. Many products have not been released yet, but most all should hit store shelves by summer 2012. Questions? Comments? Leave them in the comments box below or email me for more information.

Coming soon…watch for my next dozen hot picks from this year’s show.