10 Coolest Tech Devices to Bring to Work

It happens all the time: You’re taking notes with a pen and notepad, scribbling furiously, when you begin missing important details. If the pen you’re using is an Echo Smartpen, just push a button and the pen records sound digitally. Inconspicuous recording devices, however, may land you in hot water — nobody likes being recorded unknowingly.

Here’s an oldie but goodie: an electric coffee cup warmer. You’ll probably end up using this BYOD gadget at work most of all. Unfortunately, you’ll have to bring one from home. There are plenty of electric coffee cup warmers on the market, but you should get one that automatically shuts off. You don’t want to come to work the next day with burnt coffee in your favorite mug.

Not all BYOD gives CIOs fits. Some even sound nice. Silicon Valley workers find room in their cubicles for Jambox, a portable wireless speaker that packs up to 85 decibels of hi-fi punch. It also works well in conference rooms. The incredible sound isn’t an IT problem, although HR might have something to say about it.

It seems nearly everyone has a smartphone these days. Most of these consumer phones receive corporate email and run a multitude of work-related apps. Smartphones are the epitome of BYOD. We’re talking, of course, about the popular iPhone, Android phones and the new Microsoft-Nokia Lumia 900 phones. The often corporate-issued BlackBerry just doesn’t look right on a BYOD list.

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In honor of the great tech geek Milton of “Office Space,” make sure to bring your own red Swingline Stapler to work. So when the corporate hounds try to take it away, you can tell them, “Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler.” That’s what BYOD is all about!