I'm justifying this gadget profile with the fact that it's got a bit of social networking built in (or at least that's how it was pitched to me by the tipster who sent me Conner Flynn's writeup at Slippery Brick). This Lego mindstorm looking device is a new terrestrial radio unit commissioned by the BBC called the Olinda. The goofy looking holes there on the side are for the modules (shown to the right, detached) that add functionality to the radio experience.
The module featured here is set up to have a series of buttons, much like the buttons on your car radio, that function as station pre-sets. Rather than being pre-set to defined stations, the buttons are pre-set to your friends - and whenever they're using the radio means their light will be on, and pressing it will allow you to listen to what they're listening to.
It's not the most revolutionary use of social technology on a gadget, but it is certainly one of the most interesting. The BBC commissioned the device from Schulze & Webb, a creative design consultancy clearly not limited to any particular media type.
There are other features also taken from web theory. The Olinda dial was inspired by the auto-complete features from most of the current web browsers. The outer scroll goes through stations alphabetically, the inner one scrolls through the most listened stations. The modular system is designed with a set of specs so that other device makers can add onto it and build in their own functionality (said to be inspired by the Flickr API).