Top 10 “Most Brilliant” Gadgets of 2008

If you’re a dedicated gadget freak you really need to check out the November issue of Popular Mechanics – it features their Top 10 Gadgets of 2008.  There are a few items on their list that are now on my wish list:

1. The first is the result of a collaboration between a couple of University of Washington researchers and Microsoft’s Live Labs. It’s called Photosynth; as the name implies, the software analyzes multiple images of the same subject, identifies common data points, and morphs them into a browsable 3D model. The software is free and it is absolutely fascinating to explore.  NOTE that the software requires Windows XP or Vista, and you need a reasonable amount of memory for it to work properly. You can check out Photosynth here; click on the link below to view the Popular Mechanics video on the subject (a link to the entire P.M. article appears later in this post) –

Microsoft Photosynth Video

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2. The second item on the P.M. list that I think is really intriguing is the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen. Smart pens have been around for a while, but most should have borne a Fisher-Price label. Not the case with the Livescribe – it works well and is loaded with features. Not cheap at $149, but take a few moments to view the following video – it’ll make you a believer!

Livescribe Smartpen

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3. Coming up #3 on my gadget wish list is the Potenco PCG1 Power Generator. Much like the emergency radio I’ve written about here, the Potenco is a portable power generator that’s hand powered – by a pull cord, vs. the crank that’s common on emergency radios. Pull the cord for 2 minutes and you have 40 minutes’ worth of power. Another neat feature is the fact that while the AC is on, you can plug this unit in to pre-charge it. Click on the link which follows to see the Pop Mechanics video on this product:

Potenco PCG1 Video

Check out the entire article online by clicking here. If you’ve uncovered any great gadgets recently, please join the discussion by commenting!