Awesome Gadgets

Designed for the 4G iPod Nano or 2G iPod Touch, SwitchEasy’s ThumbTacks are actually tiny microphones that insert into the 3.5mm headphone jack via gold-plated plugs.

Despite its unfortunate excretory-sounding name, Balmuda’s Floater is a stylish way to stow your MacBook; made from carved aluminum, it saves space and helps with heat dissipation.

Elecom’s Scope Node Mouse may be slick, but is it actually functional? It promises pen-like usability by placing its 1600 dpi sensor between the index finger and the thumb.

Scosche’s SolChat Bluetooth speakerphone is an elegant idea: attach it to your car windshield with suction cups, allowing its built-in solar panel to charge its Li-Ion battery.

We’re not sold on the silver scroll wheel’s ergonomics, but Alexi Mikhailov’s iStick is more functional than the Shuffle yet just as minimalist; all four sides serve as touchscreens.

Frantz Lasorne’s Augmented Reality Tangible User Interface breathes new life into old toys; using AR glasses and a base, real life toys can participate in virtual turn-based battles.

Motion’s J3400 Tablet PC manages to be both rugged and sleek; fully loaded, you’ll get a 12.1″ View Anywhere LCD, 64GB SSD, mobile broadband, 2 MP camera and 1.4GHz ULV CPU.

It’s not sleek, but Kogan’s GPS Watch is feature-packed; it’ll track you through Google Earth, pair with your PC via Bluetooth, and measure steps, temperature, speed and altitude.

It’s not for the squeamish, but Jerry Jalava turned the loss of his ring finger into a chance to get cyborged out with a USB Finger; it packs a Bilix Linux distro, CouchDBX and Ajatus.

After months of hype, Dell’s Adamo line is official: a high-end laptop, it sports a 13.4″ screen, 1.2GHz U9300 CPU, Intel X4500, 2GB RAM and a 128GB SSD in a 0.65″ ultra-thin case.

With 11 tabletops, triple monitor and 7.1 speaker support, the V1 Flagship is more like a cockpit than a desk; got the urge to splurge? Upgrade to solid oak surface and Porsche chairs.

Mac Funamizu’s SnowCorn is a bit outlandish but still cool: it’s a bracelet with a touchscreen, built-in projector, camera and Wi-Fi that projects information overlays on real-world objects.

Shaped into a scorpion from old motherboards, Frenkie’s Sting Case Mod not only glows and packs a laser in the tail but is a working PC: it’s got a 533MHz CPU on a VIA EPIA mobo.

Best known for their graphic tablets, Wacom’s Nextbeat is packed with touch sensors and designed for DJs; it features a detachable wireless control unit, letting performers roam free.

It’s not as slick as Dick Tracy’s wristwatch, but Zypad’s WR1100 Rugged Wrist PC meets military specs with a fiberglass reinforced alloy case and water/dust-proof touch screen.

Italian for sleek, Samsung’s Lucido candy bar phone lives up to its name; it features a brushed metal case with crimson trim, HSDPA, a 2.2 AMOLED display and 5MP camera.

If the new iPod Shuffle’s proprietary earbuds give you pause, Dexim’s Shu-Lip just might make it worthwhile: it eliminates the need for a separate cable a-la the 1G Shuffle.

Targeted towards text-happy teens, LG’s Rumor 2 will launch on Sprint 3/15; it features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 1.3 MP camera, QVGA screen, stereo bluetooth and GPS.

It’s not the most groundbreaking PMP, but Samsung’s YP-Q2 gives a good 50 hours of playback in a slick case; a 2.4″ screen, mic, up to 16GB of storage, and FM radio round it out.

Nokia’s 5330 XpressMusic is a sliderphone with an “edgy, top-sliced design” that’s not half bad looking; it also includes side touch keys, a 3.5mm jack and 26 hours of playback.

Billed as the highest capacity pocket drive on the market, Apricorn’s Aegis Mini is a 1.8″ hard drive that weighs just 3.7 oz, yet can hold up to 240GB; choose from USB and FireWire.

Based on existing capacitive panels, Mitsubishi’s 3D Touch is targeted towards the mobile market; it’s a 5.7″ screen which senses a finger’s distance and speed without physical contact.

Philip’s Xenium X530 may be light on features, but it’s swank: the entry level flip phone features a 1″ external OLED, 2.2″ internal display, GSM/EDGE, 2MP camera and music player.