While Silicon Valley’s Apple and its iPhone may reign supreme in technology design, the Bay Area is home to several other stylish gadgets.

Oqo, set up by Apple renegades in San Francisco, invented the ultra mobile PC category in 2004 with its O1, which was succeeded by the O2 last year. Tivo, based in Alviso, and Sling Media, the Foster City developer of the Slingbox, have changed the way many people view television.

Oakland’s LiveScribe has just released its Pulse smartpen, whose linking of note-taking with audio recordings can transform the way you work.

Finally, San Francisco’s Aliph today introduced a new version of its Jawbone bluetooth headset.

It is half the size of the original and, besides its great looks, features improved noise-cancellation technology it calls NoiseAssassin.

The Jawbone had already set itself apart in reducing ambient noise, distinguishing the human voice with its contact with the cheek and ability to sense vibrations as users speak.

With California becoming the fourth state to ban cell phone use while driving from July 1, and dozens of other states considering such a move, the Jawbone has an ever-growing hands-free accessory market on its doorstep to tap.

May 15th, 2008 in Digital media, Hardware, Telecommunications | Permalink