We are currently living through a gadget revolution, with increasingly powerful mobile devices and touch screens providing new forms of human-computer interaction. Although it may seem like today’s tablets, smartphones and e-book readers are entirely new inventions, the fact is they evolved from earlier technology that was often ahead of its time.

A Microsoft research scientist named Bill Buxton has amassed a collection of vintage gadgets that serves as a fascinating reminder of where many of our newest gadgets originated.  Pictured here on the left is a transistor radio designed by Dieter Rahms in 1958. It’s sleek, functional design and innovate scroll wheel was the inspiration for several generations of the iPod (seen on the right).

Read more about Bill Buxton’s old gadget collection on the Atlantic Monthly website.

For many people, gadgets are an indispensable part of modern life.  But is it possible to actually love your gadgets?  This week Time magazine reports on an Arizona State University study that confirms the some people replace human relationships with emotional attachments to their smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles and other gadgets.  Besides gadgets, the researchers found that “material possession love” is also experienced by many car owners and gun owners.  People who are in the grips of this love lavish the object of their affection with accessories and add-on services, spending significantly more money on their possessions than other people. 

Read more about this phenomena on the Time website.

The LED Solar Pebble is a new multi-functional, solar powered device developed by Plus Minus Solar. The Solar Pebble is a sustainable light source that can be used in developing areas such as Africa. In developed nations, it can function as an eco-friendly charger for smartphones, MP3 players and other mobile devices. The Solar Pebble requires no batteries or electricity and generates its own power from its built-in small solar panel. The production costs of the Solar Pebble are low enough that it could be distributed as a humanitarian product, possibly using profits from its sales in developed countries.

Look for the Solar Pebble release in June of 2010.