Awesome Tech

The Sony DSC-T500 is a video friendly alternative to the T700. The 10.1 MP camera loses 4GB of internal memory, but gains 720p HD quality video recording with HDMI out to your HDTV.

Logitech’s Squeezebox Boom answers our wi-fi prayers: it streams music from your PC, internet radio and subscription services, and packs a pair of 3″ woofers and 3/4″ tweeters.

Vivien Muller’s concept Solar Tree is like a bonsai tree for charging your gadgets, with 54 solar panels and an array of modular “branches” that can be connected however you like.

Check out these mockups by Miguel Suarez of the next-gen iPod Nano, based on Kevin Rose’s spy shot showing a return to the candybar form factor. Rumor: it’s coming September 9th.

Available September 1, these Boosted Tin Can Speakers add a bit of style to your desktop; the cans feature art from artists Mint, Serf and Mainframe; they’re battery powered.

The Nikon D90 is the first DSLR with video recording; yes, you can use any lens attached to the camera body (fisheye anyone?). Other specs: max ISO 6400, 12.3 megapixels.

Most speakers have to hide behind a black mesh, but Sonance’s Kayak speakers bare it all with two cone shaped coaxial drivers; the acoustic reflector in the middle is for accurate stereo.

Nokia’s N85 is N96’s media-oriented sibling; while smaller, the 2.6″ screen is a bright AMOLED display. Also includes an FM radio, 8GB microSD card, 5 MP camera and 10 N-Gage games.

Only available in Japan, the Linux Space Cube by Shimafuji is the ultimate small form factor PC, measuring 2″x2″x1.7″. It has an NEC 333 Mhz CPU, 64MB of RAM, and a 1GB CF card.

The Draganflyer X6 UAV’s three rotors seem excessive, but it’s made for surveillance: stable at 18 MPH winds with a built-in GPS, it hauls cameras and camcorders for covert shooting.

Canon’s EOS 50D prosumer DSLR camera is now official, with 15.1 megapixels, Digic 4 processor and max ISO of 12,800. The latter hopefully bodes well for noise reduction.

If there’s one thing the HTC S740 isn’t lacking, it’s buttons. The cellphone borrows heavily from the HTC Touch Diamond, albeit with a slide-out keyboard; it will run Windows Mobile 6.1.

The Nokia N96 slider cellphone will arrive in the US 4Q 2008; it will be able to handle US 3G networks. Unfortunately, no carrier will pick it up, meaning you’ll have to foot the bill.

Real space vehicles generally pale next to their sci-fi counterparts. The ESA’s Ocean Circulation Explorer satellite (or GOCE) bucks the trend; hell, this baby comes with wings!

Navigon’s latest 7200T is a portable GPS navigation unit, available this October. The major upgrade is to the software, which includes 3D views and free real-time traffic for life.

The Olympus 1050 SW ain’t built for looks, but this camera will serve you well: its rugged body can be dropped from 5 feet, dunked in 10 feet of water and will still function at -14 degrees F.

There are plenty of other iPod/iPhone docks, but the CVT i3101’s wall-mounted form factor scores major style points. Also cool: FM radio; alarm clock; reads USB drives and SD flash cards.

Cowon’s super-sexy S9 media player has a 3.3″ active matrix OLED touch screen, bluetooth and a dual-core CPU. It can play up to 40 hours of music between charges.

The Asus N10 netbook drops the “Eee” brand in an attempt to focus on its higher-end features. It features a 10.2″ screen, glossy case, fingerprint reader and HDMI out are included.

Our biggest complaint with the Wii’s white plastic controllers is how dirty they get over time; Joe D’s Vintage Wii Mod concept addresses this with a swank woodgrain on black color scheme.

Funky Flickr group The iPod Mirror collects photos of the world, as reflected on the backs of iPods. We know how smudgy they get, so props for all the buffing that went into these shots.

LG’s KC910 is more camera than phone; it’s giant 8 MP camera has Schneider Kreuznach lens and max ISO 1600. Also: quad-band GSM, 3.2″ touch screen and TV-out.

No, it’s not a Photoshop hack–these are actual USB-powered speakers. They’re mega sized (500x larger than real iPod earbuds) and mega geeky: just the way we like things.