The best gadgets of the 2015 Good Design Awards

Inspired by the shape of a carpenter's pencil, the Pencil by FiftyThree is an awesome mix of old design and new technology.

The Bluetooth stylus has a tip that creates lines of all sizes while the angled edge can be used for broad strokes. You can even use your finger to blend -- just like charcoal. The reverse end also works as a smart eraser, and the wooden version of the pencil has a magnet inside so it sticks to your iPad SmartCover.

We went from the bicycle to the unicycle to the segway, and now we've come full circle (so to speak) with the Mono Electric.

Just like a Segway without the handlebars, the Mono Electric is a gyroscopic wheel that detects changes in the rider's movement to speed up and slow down. According to the designers, this kind of vehicle is becoming popular in Asia where it can zip down narrow corridors and be carried on to a train or bus.

The Night Cable solves a small, but not inconsequential problem: seeing your charger slide off the table when you unplug your phone.

This braided nylon cable is 3-metres long so you don't have to hug the wall and the weighted knot keeps it in place on your desk when you unplug.

If your bag is filled with flat things -- laptop, notebook, files -- then a cylindrical water bottle is the last thing you need. But if you'd like to file your water away with all your work and keep your shoulder bag nice and streamlined, then memobottle solves the problem.

Made from BPA-free Tritan plastic, the reusable water bottle comes in three sizes similar to pieces of paper -- A6, A5 and A4. While it's strictly not a gadget, it sure looks good next to your gadgets!

Combining light and sound into the one device, Yamaha's speaker is designed with portability in mind, so we could easily see it looking at home on the dining table, in the backyard or at a twilight picnic.

The wireless music streaming is controlled via an app for iOS or Android, and you can use the same app to control the lighting, so dimming to suit the mood is just a swipe away.

This USB charging outlet fits into your wall like a standard electrical socket, and integrates a cover that doubles as a shelf for your devices, 

Part of the Saturn Zen range, you can match the charging shelf with backlit LED switches that light up to show you when a switch is on, and to help you find the light switch at night.

Shaped to look like a standard hardcover book when it's closed, the Lumio folds out to reveal light-up 'pages' containing high-output LEDs.

The rechargeable battery gives you eight hours of light with constant use, and you can flip the book into a circle, lay it flat or hang it from the ceiling. And when you're done, the wooden cover stays secured the with magnets to make a book that's just 3 centimetres thick.

The perfect solution for the organised programmer in your life, the Orbitkey does away with the loose jangling mess of keys in your pocket or handbag and puts them all into one neat, foldaway stack.

You can choose between leather and elastomer covers, and you can also buy accessories such as bottle openers or USB keys to go with your set.

Representing the appliance end of the spectrum, high-end German manufacturer Gaggenau has created a rangehood that doesn't actually need to sit above your cooktop.

The ventilation unit creates a draft of air that draws steam, cooking vapours and grease particles away from the cooktop, and when it's done, it retracts down into the benchtop.

While Tesla might be the big name in electric vehicles, German heavyweight BMW is also ditching the fossil fuels completely in favour of a more eco-friendly ride with the i3. 

Up top, the car is built from carbon fibre reinforced plastic and features sustainable eucalyptus and natural fibre interiors. Down below, the 100 percent aluminium construction incorporates the battery, electric drive train and suspension system.

With a 160-kilometre-per-day range, the dash has also been completely transformed with high-tech displays.

Even start-ups and disruptive Silicon Valley firms need a beer every so often. Drawing inspiration from the feel of river pebbles, the Tactica One bottle opener is made from a single composite material used in aerospace applications and weighs in at 20 grams.

And because it's designed and manufactured out of Melbourne, it's much more likely to impress your hipster friends than that tacky stubby opener you picked up on your last cruise.

You know that thing where you go camping, and you don't turn off your phone, and you have a brightly lit tent and solar power and it's not really camping?

Made for fans of glamping (that's "glam camping" for newcomers) the SCS 200T integrates LED lighting and device charging into a traditional tent pole, which can be recharged via solar power or mains, meaning a trip to the great outdoors doesn't mean ditching your gadgets.