Wireless headsets

Long before it could be considered rude to wear a Bluetooth headset while having a face-to-face conversation with another human being, there was the earpiece worn by fictional Enterprise communications officer Uhura on the original "Star Trek" TV series.

While appearing to be nothing more than a computer heat sink jutting out of the ear of actress Nichelle Nichols, the idea ended up being very practical over the past decade. Hands-free headsets have also become the law for drivers in some states, including California. Electronics companies like Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, and others hold design patents depicting ear-mounted wireless receivers.