As the economy hits a dry spell and the digital market waits in limbo, technological innovation is still carrying on. Here are some buzz-worthy gadgets and applications you should know about.

As the economy hits a dry spell and the digital market waits in limbo, technological innovation is still carrying on -- cool new websites are launching, applications are making our lives both easier and more entertained, and widgets continue to proliferate -- some with a discernible purpose, and others not.

At the iMedia Agency Summit in La Quinta, Calif., a group of industry experts gathered for a look at a few buzz-worthy gadgets and applications that can help you get a jump on the market and your job -- and maybe have a little fun along the way.

From a media consumption perspective, Brad Berens, iMedia's chief content director and editor at large, gave a personal review of Amazon.com's Kindle, the wirelessly connected electronic-paper reading device that provides a sharp, high-resolution screen for reading and downloading books, newspapers and blogs.

The big idea behind the already hugely popular Kindle, which is currently sold out on Amazon.com, is that it's doing for the book industry what Napster did for music, as well as ushering in a new age of "vanity publishing." According to Berens, the Kindle also serves as a "media concierge" that merges the book industry with the digital market.

While Berens' review of the portable, paperback-sized Kindle was generally favorable, the negatives were that paging-forward was a clumsy function, the excessive need to bookmark pages was annoying and the lack of page number equivalents for books sometimes proved problematic. On the plus side, the battery power is strong, and the Kindle only uses power when it draws to the next page.

Berens' second favorite new technology toy was the Livescribe Pulse Pen, an infrared-enabled digital pen device for compulsive note takers. As the user writes, the content is not only recorded for USB upload later, but also includes an audio recorder. When synced with a laptop, the upload displays notes taken and can play the audio recording of the presentation, event or dictation.

"The dark side is it increases digital clutter," Berens said. "But for students, it's remarkable." Berens added that the Livescribe could carry very promising potential for contests and sweepstakes for digital marketers. "As traditional media becomes more interactive, this is the world's cheapest display technology -- it's paper!"

Jordan Berg, co-founder and chief creative officer for Questus, named Shazam one of his favorite new mobile applications. This new music discovery engine features 4 million artists, albums and tracks. By putting their phones next to a radio or other music source, Shazam users can identify the music they are listening to, as well as where to buy it. They can even download the music to their mobile devices after purchase.

The plus side is that Shazam is free and can provide extensive music listings, which can be previewed before purchase. The downside is that it is lacking classical and newer music genres, although its catalog database is rapidly growing, Berg said.

Another favorite new application for Berg was Urbanspoon, a localized online directory that allows you to select your preferred cuisine and the price you want to pay. Search results appear on your mobile device as though on a roulette wheel. And if you're undecided about where to go, a good shake of your iPhone will offer up three random options from which to choose.

Smule's Sonic Lighter was another Berg favorite -- but it's more for rock concert aficionados who like to remember the good old days of Van Halen concerts, when fans would "flame" their lighters en masse in a gesture of solidarity. Sonic Lighter is an iPhone virtual lighter for just those occasions, only in the digital age, with 70,000 downloads to date.

The Sonic Lighter, which competes with the (free) Zippo lighter app, can be blown out, lights other iPhones and comes with a social networking component that enables you to find other users geographically who are flaming.

In the widget category, Berg also noted Sprint's new widget aggregator site, which provides similarly themed widget applications in one offering. While the site is of little use other than to showcase widget innovation in a wide variety of categories -- world energy used right now, 911 calls being made, number of coffee cups made, babies being born -- it provides an impressive presentation of widgets wrapped around a message.

"It's about Sprint, speed, the now, what's happening," Berg said. But other than that, the widgets cannot be downloaded.

Mark Silva, managing director of Real Branding, shared his enthusiasm for Sprout Builder, a quick and user-friendly way to build, publish and manage Flash-based widgets, video, mini-sites, mashups and banners, and which comes complete with pre-built measurement components and web services.

Another Silva favorite was Cooliris, a firehose image-finding site that Silva claims could signal the end of the page view because of its ability to consolidate site searches for individual images and videos. Cooliris was founded in January 2006 with the intention of transforming the browser into an interactive, full-screen "cinematic" experience for online media, enabling users to inventory images collectively on one site.

To round out the session, Michael Tchong, the master of "ubercool" trends in the interactive world and a believer that technology is often inundated with extensions of our personas, started his presentation with a screenshot of the hugely popular "Lappy," HP's Vivienne Tam net book. The Vivienne Tam, named after the designer, is said to be a "true reflection of the needs of the modern woman who cares about fashion but is also passionate about her technology." The Vivienne comes with a complimentary embroidered case/sleeve, and according to Tchong, it takes a front seat in the convergence of fashion with digital culture.

Other leading digital toys that Tchong noted were the Philips Swarovski crystal USB thumb drive; the solar-powered Voltaic Generator, a laptop carrying case that provides a battery charge for tech gadgets; and the Bogner Convergence, a solar-powered ski jacket that will keep your iPod, cell phone and laptop charged -- again, converging the apparel and technology industries.

"Electrifying your clothing" is a looming and powerful trend, Tchong said, and we are sure to see a lot more integration of apparel and shoes in the coming months. "The cliché is true, and consumers want convergence, so that is what we're getting in this industry right now," Tchong said.

Among the few other trendy ticket items Tchong highlighted was GPS-enabled lingerie from designer Lucia Lorio of Brazil; the Schlage Z-Wave, which provides monitored and remote unlocking from a wireless-enabled lock device; and, in the videogame sector, Nintendo's Brain Age, which helps exercise your brain and has already sold 17 million copies globally.

On a final note, Tchong gave kudos to the increasing number of iPhone apps available, which is predicted to hit around 15,000 by the end of the quarter. The iPhone apps Tchong noted as being among his favorites include:

• NetNewsWire
• Facebook
• Byline
• Truphone
• Amazon
• Chanel
• MoonPhase
• Open Table
• Hide a Caller
• Black Book
• myAnalytics
• Rotary Dialer
• Tap Tap Dance
• Koi Pond
• Snowglobe
• Tweetsville
• Melodis Dialer
• iCanHazCheezB

Gretchen Hyman is the executive editor for iMedia Connection.