Devices such as Chaput's combine the standard laptop form factor with the Windows Tablet PC variant. These devices typically have a swiveling screen so that users can either use them like a standard laptop or swivel the screen so they can write longhand on-screen as they would with a paper tablet. Handwritten notes can then be translated into digital format. These devices are expensive, but Chaput said his is well worth it.

"I attend six to eight meetings a week with customers and staff," said Chaput, who is CEO of Endsight, a provider of outsourced network management. "The tablet lets me organize and file all my [written] notes digitally and recall them with ease, especially compared to flipping around on legal pads. I've completely removed legal pads and other written documentation from my life."

Better still, because the tablet PC converts handwritten notes to digital format, Chaput said he can upload his meeting notes directly to his company's customer relationship management software.

The sheer flood of new devices these days makes it difficult for busy IT managers to examine them all, let alone contemplate their usefulness to their organization. But a wise IT manager will take a bit of time to do just that. After all, BlackBerries -- and Palm handhelds before them -- once were derided as exotic and unnecessary, but they proved to be far more useful than just toys for geeks.

Besides tablet PCs, here are five more types of gadgets and services that could benefit the enterprise and delight end users. They aren't for all users; you'll want to pick and choose who would benefit the most. But they all serve as a win-win for both users and their enterprises, which will reap the reward of higher productivity.