The Best Inventions Of The Year

From the phone that has changed phones forever, to futuristic cars, to a building made of water, to a remote-controlled dragonfly—a dazzling display of ingenuity

By Maryanne Murray Buechner, Kristina Dell, Andrea Dorfman, Lev Grossman, Anita Hamilton, Rebecca Winters Keegan, Jeffrey Kluger, Michael D. Lemonick, Coco Masters, Lisa McLaughlin, Alice Park, Julie Rawe and Deirdre van Dyk

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Cell phone needs a charge? Take a walk in the sun with this bag, and you're golden—and green. The solar panel in the Eclipse Fusion laptop bag (above, $200) is connected to the receiving end of a 12-volt cigarette-lighter adapter; you'll need the CLA plug that's compatible with your device to make it work. The Solio Hybrid 1000 portable panel ($80) also charges on the go, as does the HYmini ($80), which looks like a fan but captures and stores wind energy for two weeks.
eclipsesolargear.com; solio.com; hymini.com

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