The best electronics from the Australian Good Design Awards (pictures)

With an eye for the unique, clever and aesthetically pleasing, Australia's Good Design Awards has once again recognised the top products from the consumer electronics design world.

Drawing in a mix of major companies and startups, Australian brands and international design firms, the event is classed as "one of the longest standing and most prestigious design awards in the world".

Perfect for the digitally-connected lush of the new millennium, the BACtrack Mobile Breathalyzer took out the Best in Category award for Consumer Electronics at the 2014 Good Design Awards.

A clever safety device that solves a very real problem, the breathalyzer connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth and provides the "highest level of accuracy" on a user's Blood Alcohol Content -- just blow and you'll know.

The GRIPster Wrap for iPad Case works as a wraparound protective cover, a stand and a briefcase-like carrier for your iPad or iPad mini.

The Buckshot, made by US company Outdoor Technology, is a ruggedized portable speaker that connects to any Bluetooth device over a range as far as 32 feet. It comes with a handlebar mount and is shock-, water- and dust-resistant.

Australian company Blackmagic Design took out the top prize for Consumer Electronics in 2013, and made it back into the award list again this year with the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera. The world's smallest digital film camera, the device is geared towards documentary and independent film makers, with the ability to shoot "cinematic quality video" in harsh environments and tight spaces. Also appealing to the indies: it costs less than AU $1,000.

As well as being a protective case, the Backbone is an interchangeable charging solution: the Qi-compatible wireless charging plate can be interchanged with a more conventional lithium polymer battery version for micro USB charging. It's designed by Dog & Bone (that's rhyming slang for "telephone" for the uninitiated).

Designed by the US-based Whipshaw Inc., the Dropcam Pro is a Wi-Fi connected camera that records and streams to a desktop or smartphone. With three axes of movement it can be wall-mounted or the circular camera can be removed.

Starting life as a Kickstarter campaign, the Jump Charging Cable from Native Union can be used as a as a regular cable to charge and sync your smartphone. But it can also redirect power to the built-in power cell when the phone is fully charged, meaning you have power in your pocket on the go.

A good pick for sound designers, musicians and journos, RØDE's iXY microphone is a high-performance portable microphone that gives iPad, iPhone and iPod users quality sound recording capabilities.