At first glance it looks like a mild-mannered iPhone and iPod charging dock. But when you need to backup your iDevices’s contacts and photos, or synch those with your computer, it transforms into an Iomega SuperHero.

That’s because this sleek little iPhone charging dock has two hidden powers:

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Black is the color of nearly every iPhone (and other cell phones), iPod (and other MP3 players), iPad (and other tablet computers) and Kindle (and other e-book readers). So putting a skin covering on your electronics devices is as much about making it distinctive as about protecting it. Fortunately, GelaSkins has you covered in both regards. Their skins are both durable and personality-full.

Gelaskins are available for a huge variety of gadgets, including virtually every major smartphone, all the recent models of the iPod and Zune and the most popular ebook readers, gaming consoles and Apple MacBooks variations. You can even get a skin for a Magic Trackpad.

For each of those, you can choose from hundreds of pre-designed skins or—and we find this very cool—design your own.

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How many different iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch speaker docks does the world need?

The tech industry seems to think it needs many hundreds. At least that’s the impression one gets roaming around CES 2011, where it seems everyone from the mega-electronics companies to the relatives of Bob Marley is coming out with an Apple iDevice dock.

Curiously, the vast majority of these docks are designed under the assumption that the iPod/Pad/Phone is not inside a case. One exception stood out to us: the iHome iA100B.

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Add yet another use for a smartphone: radar detector. That thanks to Cobra and its Cobra iRadar, the first radar detector with phone connectivity.

The way it works is: You mount the compact iRadar unit on the dashboard of your car and then pair it via Bluetooth to an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch running the iRadar app. The iPhone then works as the radar detector’s display.

So how well does this marriage between smartphone and radar detector work? Our overview of the pros and cons:

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Thirty years from now will every adult have cell phone shaped cancerous tumors around their ears?

Disturbingly, the answer to that question is: maybe.

Some government agencies, such as America’s Food and Drug Administration, say risk from cell phone radiation is minimal. Others, such as the UN’s World Health Organization, say that alarm bells would make for an appropriate ringtone. France has gone so far as to ban children from using cell phones specifically because kids are most susceptible to radiation.

The wisdom of French lawmakers aside, the truth is that no one really knows with certainty the effects years of cell phone radiation can have. Only after long term studies can there be conclusive answers. At which point it might be too late.

So what’s one to do?

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In tough economic times there’s a special need for gifts that come at a cheap price but that feel expensive. So here are 10 items with a low cost and high WOW factor. As with our other gift guides, friends and family of Spot Cool Stuff are advised to read no further lest you ruin the surprise of your gift this holiday season. The rest of you, carry on . . .

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Spot Cool Stuff does not understand why most of the world’s alarm clocks wake their owners with a jarring buzz or annoying beep. We can imagine some worse ways to be awoken—eg. via cobra bite, bucket of cold water or missile attack—but not many.

Imagine instead being woken by the sound of birds chirping, wind chiming, jungles jungling (or by the radio playing or whatever tune you wish from your iPod) as a soft bedside light gradually brightens over a period of several minutes. That’s how one starts one’s day with the Philips HF3490 iPod clock radio.

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Most audiophiles know the value of noise canceling headphones, which shut out large portions of the background sounds leaving the headphone wearer to experience the purity of their music.

Airplane travelers who have used noise canceling headphones know of their benefits too. The loud drone of the airplane engines is one of the major factors leading to flight stress and jet lag. Noise canceling headphones (even without playing any tunes through them) shut out most of the harmful aircraft noises thus helping travelers land at their destination feeling more relaxed and awake.

But what most of those people don’t know is that the best noise canceling headphones are not made by Bose, contrary to what their marketing campaign would have you believe. The Bose Quiet Comfort 3 are very good headphones. An even better pair of noise canceling headphones is. . .

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