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The best of Computex design and innovation (pictures)

Every year, Computex honours the best in consumer technology innovation and design with its D&I Awards.

Michelle Starr
Michelle Starr is CNET's science editor, and she hopes to get you as enthralled with the wonders of the universe as she is. When she's not daydreaming about flying through space, she's daydreaming about bats.
Michelle Starr
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1 of 21 Philips

Gold: Philips Two-in-One Design monitor

If you're the kind of person who needs two monitors, the Philips Two-in-One offers a dual display in a single chassis, reducing desk clutter and allowing you to work across two screens, or combine them both into one.

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2 of 21 HTC

Gold: HTC Dot View

Similar to the Samsung Galaxy cover that has a window so you can still see the display, the HTC Dot View takes the concept a bit further. It has a polycarbonate back that fits the curved shape of the phone, and a silicon flip cover on the front with a grid of tiny holes. These allow the phone to display basic information, such as notifications and weather alerts, while the case is closed.

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3 of 21 Thermaltake

Gold: Level 10 M Hybrid Mouse

Designed in collaboration between gaming peripheral manufacturer Thermaltake and BMW Designworks, the Level 10 M Hybrid is the newest member of the Level 10 M family. It can function as both a wired and wireless mouse via USB connection. It also packs all the features of the Level 10 M mouse, including 3D steering axis, ventilation system and customisable software in a new ergonomic design.

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4 of 21 GP Acoustics

Gold: X300A Wireless speakers

These look like pretty standard wireless speakers, but it's what's in the guts that counts. It packs KEF's unique Uni-Q drivers, four dedicated amplifiers (two per speaker), two discrete high-quality DACs and a high resolution 96kHz/24-bit distortion-free digital USB connection in wired mode. It can also stream audio wirelessly via Airplay or DLNA from your computer, smartphone or other mobile device.

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5 of 21 Taer Innovation Co

Gold: Cylinder

There are many in-car mounts for your smartphone; Cylinder brings sleekness, style and useability. You can dock your phone using just one hand, and orient the phone in whatever position suits you best, thanks to its swivelling back. It also fits most 3.5-5-inch handheld devices in its anodised aluminium frame, and fixes to your dash with a reusable suction cup.

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6 of 21 Top Victory Electronics

UHD460SL

This UHD TV designed by Taiwan's Top Victory Electronics has thrown out the bezel entirely, making for a slim, streamlined and clean display that can be mounted on a wall or placed in a base. A subwoofer is set in the back for strong sound, and cables are discreetly tucked away in the back.

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7 of 21 1more

Xiaomi Piston earphones

Chinese manufacture 1more has designed these earphones around what it calls a "large databank of fingerprint parameters" to make it easy to put in your ears, minimising fingerprints. It has 3.5mm gold-plated jacks to prevent surface oxidation; KEVLAR wire for anti-persipration, anti-static and anti-tangle cables; diamond-machined unibody piston-like chambers; and an FDA-grade silicone earphone holder.

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8 of 21 HTC

HTC One M8

The HTC One M8 was a real return to form for HTC, with a stylish brushed aluminium unibody, a brilliant 5-inch HD screen, Android KitKat, and the latest HTC Sense 6, with boosted audio and spectacular depth-sensing camera.

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9 of 21 Asus

ZenFone 6

The Asus ZenFone 6 is a real colossus of a smartphone, boasting a 6-inch 1,280x720-pixel display in a soft-touch. Inside, it runs on a 2GHz Intel Atom Z2580 processor and a 3,230mAh battery, and it boasts a 13-megapizel camera on the back.

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10 of 21 Edimax Technology

EW-7288APC

The EW-7288APC calls itself the world's first dedicated 5GHz Wi-Fi access point, with an upgrade to dual-band Wi-Fi for the 5GHz smartphones, laptops and tablets. Its unusual form factor is designed to save space while providing wider Wi-Fi coverage. It also boasts low power consumption, meaning it can be powered by a router or a laptop USB.

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11 of 21 Aerocool

Dead Silence Fan

This dual-layered fan -- another world first, manufacturer Aerocool claims -- kills noise through its combination of plastic and rubber fan blades, which means losing that irritating hum. The rubber blade has also taken a design cue from golf balls, featuring a dimpled surface that minimises resistance. Each corner of the mounting frame is also fitted with rubber pads, to minimise the noise caused by vibration.

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12 of 21 Asus

Asus Z97-Deluxe motherboard

The latest of Asus' Intel 9 series motherboards, the Z97-Deluxe, has five-way optimisation and 5th-generation Dual Intelligent Processors. The board's CPU frequency can be adjusted with a single click to set the system to either overclocking or energy-saving mode, while the Turbo App provides fast internet connection and the best audio environment possible.

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13 of 21 Acer

Acer Aspire U5-620

Acer's sleek all-in-one PC touts itself as the best Skype-certified all-in-one. It has a 23-inch fingerprint-resistant IPS touchscreen in full HD, and its speakers are tucked neatly behind a metal mesh cover. The computer is super-slim at just 35mm thick, and it can be adjusted to any angle between 10 and 90 degrees on its angle-cut aluminium alloy stand.

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14 of 21 Asus

Asus Zenbook UX series

The latest flagship ultrabooks from Asus -- the Zenbook UX301 and 302 -- are beasts behind an elegant, Gorilla Glass-covered case. They boast a 13.3-inch display with up to a 2,560 x 1,440 WQHD resolution, 10-point multi-touch, and its Intel Core i5 processor can be upgraded to a top-end Intel Core i7 chip.

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15 of 21 Fruitshop International

Ninja Dual Driver

This sneaky little ninja is a lot more than an adorable little desk buddy. Inside his body, he rocks both a USB 3.0 and a micro USB, so that you can connect and transfer files easily between devices. His body is all in one piece, which means there are no caps to lose, and even his hands are useful: his right holds a 3.5mm cap for your mobile devices, and the left has a small magnet inside, so you can stick him to things.

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16 of 21 Gopod Group

iSSD

This large-capacity SSD supports iOS, using iAP2 communication protocol Lightning for high-speed data transfer for iOS devices. It can support Windows, Mac, Chrome OS, and tablet and mobile devices via a transmission cable.

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17 of 21 Asustek

NFC Express 2 and Wireless Charger

A dual-purpose device, this single-form gadget is both a wireless charger -- where you place your smartphone on top of it to charge via induction. It also has an NFC side, which can be programmed with whatever you need. Tapping your phone to log in to your PC and launch your favourite applications, for example, or back up your photos.

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18 of 21 Chen-source

UA mini case

We haven't seen an iPad case quite like this one. On the back, it has a hollow chamber that stretches from one end to the other, jutting out either side. This is actually a sort of analog amplifier. It uses what designer Chen-source calls "tube technology" to channel the sound to either side of the device for a stereo effect, amplifying sound up to 16dB.

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19 of 21 Qualcomm

Qualcomm Toq Smartwatch

The Toq is Qualcomm's entry into the burgeoning smartwatch market, but it's offering something no one else has. Remember Mirasol? A few years back, we all thought it was going to revolutionise E Ink e-readers, but Qualcomm has employed its colour display technology here instead -- so it falls somewhere between the Pebble and everything else. Rather than acting as a standalone device, it serves as a second screen for your Android smartphone, delivering messages, updates and notifications to where you can always see them.

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20 of 21 ASRock

M8 Gaming PC

BMW Designworks has been really going at the gaming hardware. The M8 gaming PC is a bare-bones machine designed for customisation, so what it has going on inside is minimal (you can see the full list of specs here), but it looks super-stylish, with a windowed case designed to show off your build in all its glory.

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21 of 21 Asus

ROG GK2000 Gaming Keyboard

Asus has really been on a roll this year, and its mechanical gaming keyboard is no exception. It has an eye-catching backlight, and its mechanical switches are guaranteed to provide 50 million keystrokes.

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