Here’s A List Of Some Favorite Devices That Live On My Desk, Always

While fighting the constant battle to keep my office desk clean, I tend to always leave a few favorite devices and accessories on my desk. These bits of tech never leave my direct sight, and have become irreplaceable in my day-to-day use. This is my top tech.

This list won’t touch on smartphones, simply because I try to keep one device (my Pixel 9 Pro Fold) in reach and nothing else to minimize clutter. Really, when that clutter is maintained, I have a few tools for keeping devices and accessories charged, and a few items to help me iron out productivity.

Plaud Note AI transcriber

The Plaud Note has become one of the most irreplaceable pieces of tech that I have within arm’s reach, and it’s a recent favorite of my devices. It’s essentially a voice recorder with so much depth to it. Using AI, the Plaud app is able to take recordings from the Note and transcribe them based on complex parameters.

The Plaud app is incredibly in-depth and offers summary preferences for any scenario you can think of. That includes lectures, doctor’s appointments, conversations, personal memos, and more. I often use the Note to record press meetings or interviews so that I don’t miss a single thing. That recording, once transcribed, is summarized into a professional breakdown. Plaud’s summaries are very easy to read and add to, if necessary.

The device itself takes up the space of a credit card, and can be attached with an included MagSafe wallet to your phone to record phone calls, as well. On top of how small it is, it’s just designed so well and looks sleek sitting on the desk.

Aukey MagFusion Qi2 wireless charger

I don’t use an Apple Watch, so this 3-in-1 really turns into a 2-in-1 for me. In any case, it offers a surface for MagSafe-compatible devices to connect and a spot for other small wirelessly charged items to sit at the base. The bottom is taken up by my earbuds – more on that later.

Aukey’s desk charger is Qi2 certified, which means it’s compliant with the evolving standard as more devices adopt it.

The reason it’s much larger than most wireless chargers is that it hides a proprietary cooling system behind the plate that attaches to your device. When your phone connects, the fan automatically turns on and begins cooling the device as power gets sent to it. This is a protective measure, as prolonged heat will damage any battery as it charges.

It isn’t the cheapest option out there, but it certainly looks good sitting on my desk.

Boox Tab Ultra C

E-paper tablets aren’t anything new or incredible, but Boox has been developing some rock-solid e-ink tablets in the last couple of years. The Boox Tab Ultra C is one of my favorites, and it’s always sitting in front of me.

One of the biggest draws to this E-paper tablet is the included stylus. The tablet does an amazing job of facilitating almost paper-like drawing and writing. If a thought or idea pops into my head, I can grab the tablet and jot down anything. On top of that, it runs full Android so I can get any app from the Google Play Store with ease.

Becuase it’s e-paper, the battery in the Tab Ultra C lasts forever. I’m talking months in idle. There’s next to no hassle when it comes to keeping the tablet alive for long periods, and it can just live in front of me without a second thought, that’s why it’s become one of my favorite devices.

• Related: Boox Tab Ultra C and Tab Mini C pair color E Ink and full Android – I didn’t know I wanted that

Keychron Q3 HE hall-effect keyboard

Hall-effect keyboards are new in the realm of mechanical keyboards, and there are a lot of companies trying to develop hall-effect switches that feel as good as linear or tactile switches.

I’m pretty sure Keychron has figured it out.

Keychron’s Q3 HE is just one layout from Keychron’s massive library of boards, but the specific part that I enjoy is how comfortable these hall-effect switches are. They feel great, offer amazing sound in this board with no modification, and allow me to write comfortably for a full day on what is essentially a board designed for gaming.

The Q3 HE is wired, Bluetooth, or 2.4GHz, depending on your preference. With that, I can connect my Android devices with Bluetooth and write whatever I need to. For instance, one of my favorite recipe apps, Cooklist, is mobile-only. So I have to open it up on my tablet and use a keyboard to write down recipes.

I replaced the keycaps on my Keychron Q3 HE with some that matched the white better.

I also find that the wooden K2 HE keyboard has one of the best sounds out of the box. It’s also a tremendous option, but the white Q3 HE wins out for my desk setup as a favorite in my device list.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra

I don’t type while wearing a watch. I just can’t. That means the Galaxy Watch Ultra, which I generally wear, sits on my desk whenever I’m sitting.

We’ve reviewed and written about the Galaxy Watch Ultra a lot, so there isn’t much to say on top of what’s already been said. I use it becuase it is a great smartwatch, and until the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic comes out, it will be on my desk and wrist. For now, it’s easily one of my favorite smartwatches or devices, in general.

Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2

Jabra is no longer making earbuds, and that’s incredibly sad. Jabra’s latest options have been some of my favorites, and no matter which buds get announced, I always come back to the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2.

They’re comfortable and easy to use whenever they’re needed. They sit right on my wireless charger until I need to take them with me or pull them out.

As far as sound quality goes, they have some of the best audio in the market. The sound isn’t overly bass-y or tinny, and everything sounds just right. That can be customized, but the baseline Jabra sets is really good. Not to mention, they equip Dolby presets.

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