Top mobile accessories of 2012 so far

— -- We're at the end of June and heading into July. In that time, not only have we seen a number of new smartphone and tablet devices hit the market, companies have been releasing accessories that compliment their features, but also add a few of their own.

After a little in-house brainstorming, we took the decision to add a few mobile accessories that were released earlier than 2012, but have or will become very important in our lives this year. Here's the selection we came up with:

Cosmonaut Stylus

We spoke with the guys at Studio Neat back in May, chronicling the success of its Cosmonaut tablet stylus after it was successfully funded on Kickstarter in April 2011 and went on sale at the end of last year.

However, with the release of iPad app Paper and the success of Zynga's newly-acquired Draw Something apps, we felt that the input tool deserved to be included in the list. Why? Because demand for drawing apps translated into demand for stylus products, and the Cosmonaut seemed to be the tool that everyone wanted.

Many styli are designed to look and feel like a pen, but writing on tablets isn't the same as using a pen or a pencil. Modeled on a dry erase marker, the Cosmonaut feels great in the hand and can be used for note-taking, sketching and can replace your finger when you want to type on the keyboard.

Pebble Smartwatch

Although it's not available to hold in your hand as yet, the Pebble Smartwatch has captured the imaginations of smartphone owners all over the world thanks to a successful $10 million Kickstarter funding campaign which saw it sell all 85,000 units available.

The Pebble Smartwatch is (of course) a wristwatch, but it can be customized with apps, can display different watchfaces and deliver notifications. Because it's predominantly powered by your iPhone or Android smartphone, data from apps can be transferred to the Pebble via a Bluetooth connection.

Its creators have released a Pebble SDK, allowing developers to create new apps and features for the watch.

The Pebble watch will ship in early 2013 and you can preorder it for $150.

Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad

Launching back in April in the U.S. for $99 , Logitech's Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is a slick iPad accessory that turns your tablet into more of a notebook, offering shortcuts and full keyboard input while protecting it on your travels.

Give this accessory one full charge and it will operate for 6 months without needing another. If you travel a lot or you need an easy way to take notes without carrying around your notebook, the Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is one of the best solutions we have found.

Nike+ Fuelband

The Nike+ FuelBand, in a nutshell, is a wristband that tracks and measures every movement you make. It's also Nike's attempt to expand its reach beyond the serious runners and keep-fit freaks, and into the realm of everyday activities. We went hands-on with it back in March.

It has even invented a new metric called NikeFuel which, used in conjunction with the FuelBand, will measure everything you do in a day and tell you how active you are. It connects not only to your computer but also to your iPhone and soon your Android smartphone.