Time's best inventions

Think innovation is hard to come by these days? Then check out Time's best inventions of 2005. No flying cars yet in the automotive department, but some really cool aerodynamic vehicles and space-age looking things that will probably never see the light of day.

Perhaps the most obtainable item on the list is Sony's Playstation Portable, the uber-chic geek item of the year for many. I'm not sure if proprietary UMD movies and a short battery life constitute it being on the list, but it's an impressive machine nonetheless.

As for my favorites, the Power Tap wins from a personal standpoint -- fill up your beer in the shortest time possible. But for the more important, might-save-lives category, the LifeStraw is the hands-down winner. It's a straw that filters and cleans water as the person sucks it through. Even better, it can be made for only $3 a straw. This could obviously save lives in the developing world, as well as provide hikers and outdoors people with a safe way to find and drink water.