The Onyx phone has a lot going for it: besides looking slimmer and sexier than LG's Chocolate phone, it sports a type of touchscreen technology called ClearPad. Developed by Synaptics, ClearPad eliminates the need for any "hard" buttons on the Onyx, with things like the number pad, a GPS map, or a video screen appearing when needed. To close windows, all you need to do is draw an "X" over them with your finger, and answering a call is as easy as touching the phone to your cheek. But wait a minute — what if you tapped the screen with your thumb while it was ringing? And which carriers are offering the phone? Luckily, the Onyx isn't burdened with such questions since it's just a prototype right now, put together by Synaptics and industrial designer Pilotfish to demonstrate the ClearPad tech. This phone won't ever actually be produced, but Synaptics says ClearPad could be built into cell phones in "reality" by the end of the year. — Peter Pachal

Synaptics Onyx, via Engadget