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MANILA, Philippines—Clean aesthetics meets RAD technology. You’ve probably encountered that kind of combination in a hundred gadgets out there in the market, especially during these times when everything’s digitally awesome. But there’s a difference between a useful, pretty tool and a wonderful albeit worthless widget. Want to know what it is? Read on as we present a roundup of the freshest gadgetry around.

The Future Looks Blue

The NuTouch 7” Premium Digital Touch Photo Frame is minimalistically wicked. Your photos appear crisp and bright, in extreme high quality. You control it using a blue LED touch sensor that’s built into a classy piano black frame. Simply touch the frame and an array of buttons will appear. The built-in battery lasts long, the gadget works with all kinds of memory cards, and it has a USB port—meaning you can transfer photos straight from your computer. Plus, the clock and calendar functions make it a desktop essential. And it even has an MP3 player and built-in stereo speakers. Neat.

Cut the Crap

Did you know that the Earth consumes 2.6 million tons of electronic consumer waste each year? Good thing a guy named Charles Brill has whipped up an idea that earns him a pat on the back. eNutrition is a device that tells you a gadget’s “nutrition level.” It tells you how much energy the product has consumed during the manufacturing process and evaluates its potential recyclable content. It also calls attention to toxic materials used in the item. In the standardized nutritional report, a green star system is used to rate a product’s overall responsibility. Encouraging the use of healthier manufacturing materials and processes, eNutrition is, without a doubt, an admirable initiative.

Paper View

Imagine this. By merely folding, cutting and gluing cardboard, you can build your own high-tech gadget. Impossible? Listen to this. Conceptualized by Mert Ozcan of Turkey, foldIT is eco-consciousness paired with a stylized do-it-yourself method. How? By simply attaching electronic components - - like a camera lens - - to a housing board made out of cardboard. When you get tired of your toy, you can easily disassemble the gadget, recycle the housing board and use the electronic component in another gadget. Thus, foldIT helps in eliminating unused electronic components and plastic parts in our environment. Pretty ingenious, eh?

Radio Strikes Back

Believe Mikael Silvanto when he says that his 08 Radio Concept gives you the freedom to choose what you want to listen to. His little creation allows you to browse through the different stations by simply sliding the entire radio unit up and down a scale. It’s like a precision caliper tool, only, well, not geeky. As a stand-alone piece, the radio’s a work of art. Good times.

It’s All In The Mind

It has changed the way we look at video games, but here is Nintendo Wii again, taking the hobby to a whole new level. Here’s a sneak peek at the Wii headset accessory that uses brainwaves to control characters. It even comes with a pair of immersing in-ear headphones. There’s also a streamlined Wii Remote - - simply press one button and your brain takes over.

Pill it

No, we haven’t lost our mind. This pill-shaped bedroom radio clock designed by Pascal Barde of Hong Kong-based Sequoia Studio is really a gem. It’s not fussy yet it stands out. “Gelule,” French for capsule, has a backlit LCD display and an omni-directional speaker, which you also use to adjust the volume. It may look diminutive from afar, but you’ll be surprised at how much emotion it brings to your room.