You know, gadgets don't have to look cool to be cool, but it certainly helps. (Exhibit #1 please: the iPod).

Well, if you love design and all things gadgets (and Beyond -- remember that from seeing Click! recently?), then the recent issue of Business Week that featured "The Best Product Design of 2006" is must reading.

According the article, design teams from Asia nabbed a quarter of this year's gold awards, up from 8 percent in 2005. What's more, the bar of excellence is moving ever higher; design has become strategic, the very core of their efforts to differentiate what they make and do.

Take a look at the 2006 Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEAs), which is sponsored by BusinessWeek and judged independently by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). Here's an excerpt from the article:

What were the key surprises this year? The strong showing by Asia is clearly one of the most striking trends. Panasonic won six awards, twice as many as the next winner and far more than any U.S. or European corporation. China’s Lenovo Group computer maker took two golds, the most of any company. Samsung Group won a gold and two silvers and still leads all global corporations, including Apple Computer, for the most idea wins over the past five years.

Wha'ts really interested is actually seeing all of these neat product designs -- you will not believe how cool some of them are! (And even for what might be consider "uncool" products.)

Read all about it at www.businessweek.com.