BenQ "Crazy Arm" LCD Monitor

Branching off from your typical PC monitor, literally, is BenQ's 19-inch Crazy Arm LCD Monitor which resembles a multi-tentacled creature from the Deep. It sufficiently intrigued the judges to take home a bronze at the Industrial Design Excellence Awards, and is aimed at users who like to look sleek while working. The array of seven jellyfish-like arms are jacked into USB ports and can take on any USB-powered accessory such as that essential USB fan, LED light, memory card reader, Webcam, etc. A four-beam axle lets the monitor adjust to any angle, while the stand can be collapsed for reduced storage space. Cool or crazy? You decide.

Click for bigger image here

Price: N.A.
Availability: More info here
Device: LCD monitor
Basic specs: Built-in software interface allows for easy on/off control of USB accessories

Mobile theft device detects walking style

You can mimic a person's body language, but can you imitate his exact gait? From the land of Nokia and Santa Claus comes a device that aims to make it that much harder to steal mobile phones and laptops, as the gizmo detects changes in its owner's walking style. The VTT Technical Research Center of Finland gets credit for thinking out of the biometric box with this one. The gadget first imprints the user's gait, then checks it against the saved information. If the values differ, the user has to enter a password. Failing which, well, your mobile or laptop simply freezes to prevent unauthorized use. Wonder what happens if you stub a toe.

(image: VTT research professor Heikki Ailisto)

See larger image here | another device that uses movement

Price: N.A.
Availability: Concept, read more at the Web site
Device: Security device
Basic specs: N.A.

Toshiba Red Transformer Laptop

Everybody loves a good tech design. But a startling design with that "wow" factor is even more riveting. Here's one that stood out enough to win a Gold in the highly competitive Industrial Design Excellence Awards--the Toshiba Red Transformer Laptop. Designer Yves Béhar designed a unique sliding hinge that easily converts the notebook's 17-inch flat panel to a flat-screen home entertainment center. The display rests on the integrated speaker panel and a removable remote control and keyboard control the computer from a distance. Like one project manager said, quick, get it to market!

Click for full image

Price: N.A.
Availability: Concept
Device: Avante garde notebook
Basic specs: N.A.

Snap MP3 Bracelet

About the closest you'd get to the Snap would be Samsung's YP-D1 and YP-T8 music players, both of which incorporate motion-sensitive gaming capability. That's because the former, by Design Continuum, is still only a concept. However, it did win the Bronze at the Industrial Design Excellence Awards for its idea of a wrist-worn MP3 player that can be controlled by simple hand gestures and audio feedback. The player and wireless earbuds communicate using your skin as a transmission medium. Of course, songs are still loaded via standard Wi-Fi.

Click for larger image

Price: N.A.
Availability: Concept
Device: Motion-activated MP3 player
Basic specs: N.A.

Sharp's dual display

News.com has a picture of Sharp's new dual-view LCD screen. Seen at different angles, you actually get two displays for the price of one (hopefully, cost-wise). Excitement aside, did anyone think to ask who gets the remote control or how the sound projects for two screens on the one LCD monitor?

Credit: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images | Click for larger image

Price: N.A.
Availability: In concept
Device: Dual-view LCD TV
Basic specs: N.A.

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