Gadgets for 2011: our tech writer's picks from the annual consumer electronics show in Las Vegas.

• Author: Peterson, Eric
• Position: Product/service evaluation

Gadgets galore: Out of the 2,700 exhibitors at this month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, here are a dozen gems that aren't household names - at least not yet.

LIQUID IMAGE CAMERA GOGGLES

New last month, Liquid Image's Summit Series HD integrates a high-definition camera into a pair of high-performance snow goggles for footage with an authentic point of view of the slopes. Beyond capturing 720p HD video, the goggles double as a hands-free, five-megapixel camera for still images. With offices in California and Hong Kong, Liquid Image has made its mark with scuba mask-underwater camera hybrids and offers similar products for extreme motorsports. Summit Series: about $250 retail.

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Made by Liquid Image, Antelope, Calif., www.liquidimageco.com.

SURC

The remote control might well go the way of the dodo. In its place, a smartphone and an app dubbed Surc by Mashed Pixel. Many "universal" remotes are far from universal. Surc controls any and all infrared devices with your iPhone. The app requires no other hardware and allows users to customize their interface like placement of buttons. It even allows you to match gestures to common functions like volume adjustment or flipping channels. Free.

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Made by Mashed Pixel, Washington, D.C., www.mashedpixel.com.

FACEVSION VIDEOCONFERENCING CAMERAS

Specializing in low-cost, high-definition videoconferencing cameras, faceVsion makes a number of products that are compatible with such applications as Skype, Google Gmail and Cisco WebEx. The company touts its cameras as the best value for high-definition videoconferencing cameras, which simply clip onto a notebook's lid to allow remote workers the same quality enjoyed by most boardrooms. The newest faceVsion products are in the TouchCam series, streaming up to 1080p HD video. About $130 to $150 retail.

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Made by faceVsion Technology USA, Fremont, Calif., www.facevisionusa.com.

EYEFI WIRELESS MEMORY CARDS

Digital cameras have revolutionized photography, with a catch: a constant juggling of cables and memory cards to transfer images from one gadget to another. Eye-Fi's wireless memory cards solve this problem with a built-in Wi-Fi transmitter that allows users to beam their images from camera to computer without the muss and fuss. The cards debuted in 2007, and the California-based Eye-Fi expanded its line considerably in 2010 with the X2 series, ranging from the 4-gigabyte Connect X2 to the...