Kickstarter isn’t slowing down in 2012, but it has a high bar to reach in terms of matching its amazing 2011. Luckily, there are already some amazing new products that prove innovation isn’t in short supply at the crowd-funding site as we head into the new year.

A real pressure-sensitive iPad stylus

The Jaja is like the grail of iPad styluses. Ever since selling my beloved Wacom 12WX because it was, admittedly, too much machine for someone who only occasionally doodles for fun, I’ve been wanting to draw on my iPad with real pressure sensitivity. Pressure sensitivity is what allows digital drawing devices to accurately mimic real-life drawing and painting implements; it allows styluses and drawing tablets to know how hard you’re pressing and alters pen and brush strokes accordingly.

The iPad in its current form doesn’t have any real fine pressure sensitivity to speak of. Sure, it can tell how hard you’re hitting the keys in Garage Band, but that’s a different kind of tech, and nowhere near subtle enough for sophisticated painting applications. The Jaja has 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity built-in to its body design (that’s a good number), as well as a speaker, two contextual buttons and a rechargeable battery.

Like the iPen we’ve covered before, it’ll do more than any other stylus out there, but unlike the iPen, it doesn’t require any additional parts. It actually uses high-frequency sound to communicate with the iPad and convey info about contextual clicks or pressure info. That feature will require that apps make use of a special Jaja SDK, but talks with potential partners to do just that are already underway.

The Jaja isn’t yet funded: it’s at just over ,000 and has a goal of ,000 with 25 days remaining. Were it possible for me to wish things into existence, however, this stylus would already be in my hands.

The popping and locking iPhone case

The PopSockets looks a bit ridiculous, but its two extendable protrusions aren’t just an aesthetic oddity. They help prop up your iPhone, stick it to surfaces make it easier to hold and provide a simple cable wrap solution.

Whether you think the design is garish or stylish, the PopSockets is highly customizable, will eventually come in a variety of colors and designs, and the popping elements themselves hide away almost completely when not in use. The PopSockets project is nearing its funding goal of ,000 with 30 days remaining, so it will almost certainly become a reality. You can secure a pre-order for , but do yourself a favor and don’t watch creator David Barnett’s Kickstarter promo video.

Small add-on addresses major iPad flaw

I like watching movies on my iPad, but I hate having to cup my hand just right or prop it against a hard surface to try to get sound coming out of the speaker to bounce back at me. Without taking these steps, though, I often find that even at full volume it’s hard to pick out clear dialogue against background noise.

The SoundBender is a small, simple magnetic attachment that clips onto your iPad 2 and provides a backstop against which soundwaves redirect back towards you, the listener. It’s pocketable, one-piece, and even works with plenty of case designs. This project has just started, so it’s still far from its modest ,500 goal, but a simple pledge secures a pre-order.

I wish the iPad didn’t need something like this, but since it does, this small, unobtrusive solutions seems like the best possible fix.

Got an exciting Kickstarter project? Send it to us for consideration in our regular roundup of promising accessories.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Mobile Q2: Smartphone growth surges; iPad’s rule continues
• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• 2012: Data, spectrum and the race to LTE

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The kitchen is the center of the home. Whether you have a large family, are a couple, or are single, you probably find that entertaining at your home revolves around the kitchen. With this in mind, it is important to make the time that you spend in the kitchen as stress-free and enjoyable as possible. One way to do this is by investing in tools and gadgets that make food preparation and storage easier.

With the wide variety of kitchen gadgets available, it is easy to become overwhelmed when choosing items for your kitchen. Some kitchen gadgets make life easier for nearly everyone, while others depend on the type of cooking that you do.

Some things that nearly any cook would find helpful in their kitchen include spice grinders, electric kettles, slicing implements such as dicers, and salad spinners. Spice grinders are an excellent addition to the home kitchen. Freshly ground spices are more vibrant and the taste is unlike that of spices purchased already ground. If you have not tasted freshly ground spices, be prepared to add another dimension to your cooking.

An electric kettle is an excellent addition to the kitchen. Electric kettles heat water quickly and safely without using the microwave or stove. While an electric kettle is particularly nice when entertaining, as it allows you to serve tea without clearing off burners that may be holding other food, once you make the decision to add an electric kettle to your kitchen, you will find that you use it quite frequently. A similar appliance that is great for singles or small meals is the electric skillet that uses less energy than your standard stove.

Whether you are a stir fry master or only occasionally make a tossed salad, a dicer or other slicing implement is an excellent investment. Not only does a dicer allow you to quickly slice a variety of vegetables in uniform sizes, but it also protects your hands from cuts as you work.

A salad spinner is one of those gadgets that have only one use, but it does come in handy when you need to wash and dry lettuce, spinach or other greens. To clean greens without a salad spinner you probably rinse them thoroughly under running water and then gently dry them with paper towels. Even then, some greens, such as spinach, seem to hang onto every drop of grit and sand. With a salad spinner you simply rinse, spin and, in less than one minute, you have clean greens.

Some kitchen gadgets than may not be of interest to everyone, but are well designed, are microwave popcorn poppers, funnel pitchers, tiered oven racks and cookie presses. If you have kids in the house, you probably know the expense of providing snack food. With a microwave popcorn popper, you can save money by using regular popcorn kernels to make a snack. In addition to the cost savings, popcorn that you make yourself can be made healthier and tastier than what is available at the grocery store. You can control the amount of butter and salt, and add flavorful combinations such as parmesan cheese and chili powder to add variety to your snack. Microwave popcorn poppers are also simple to use, and after an initial lesson, most children that are comfortable in the kitchen can prepare their own snack.

Funnel pitchers are a great way to keep your kitchen neat and clean when preparing pancakes, waffles, muffins or cupcakes. Simply prepare your mix in the pitcher, and then use the pouring spout to add your batter to the griddle or muffin tin that you are using. This kitchen gadget is worth every penny if you frequently make these types of foods, or if you have frequent help from younger members of your family.

Tiered oven racks are a great gadget for the cook who frequently entertains. These racks go into your oven and allow you to stack casserole dishes or cookie sheets two or three high in your oven, effectively doubling or even tripling your oven space. While you may need to adjust the cooking time for some foods to make up for the crowded oven, tiered oven racks are still a great time saver.

Cookie presses are a lot of fun for families with children. Pressed cookies look very fancy and can be decorated with icing, sprinkles or other ornamentation. Using the cookie press is simple, and, with the variety of cookie plates available, you can make pressing cookies a tradition for every holiday.

As you can see, there are many kitchen gadgets available, with choices for every type of chef. Whether you routinely plan family meals and entertain on a regular basis, or only cook for special occasions, there are undoubtedly several kitchen gadgets available that will make your life easier.

You’ve probably seen OXO cooking implements on your many trips to Bed Bath and Beyond — you know, they’re usually grippy, silicone-enhanced spatulas and the like. It seems that OXO is looking to expand their ergonomic empire to the gadget realm, although they’re starting mighty small. This little cord caddy ain’t exactly headline news, but it’s nice to know that OXO is trying its hand at stuff I’m likely to use.

It’s die-cast zinc with a nonslip base, useful for keeping a couple USB cords available on your desk without having them slip back behind it. Should be available in your neighborhood next month.

While sitting in my dentist’s chair recently, I marveled at just how scary looking many of the implements on his tray were. And don’t get me started on that contraption I put my face into at the optometrists! It’s hard to believe that these implements of modern medicine will some day appear as quaint — and arguably as effective — as instruments of yore, like the “artificial leech” pictured here.

For a quick walk down memory lane, take a peek at 20 Scary Old School Surgical Tools over at SurgicalTechnologists.net. it’s fun for the whole family! I recommend the trephine if you’re considering trepaning yourself. And really, who doesn’t think about trepanation a couple times a day?!