Stupid Evil Bastard: A multitude of USB powered devices.

A multitude of USB powered devices.

Posted by Les on Tuesday, December 16, 2003 at 01:15 PM. Read 4103 times. Tags: gadgets

Remember those USB powered light-up Christmas trees I posted about a while back? Well it turns out they’re merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to USB powered devices that you wouldn’t initially consider hooking into your computer.

USB electric blanket [mib.co.jp]
USB coffee heater [dct-net.co.jp]
USB toothbrush [impress.co.jp]
USB fan [tt-hardware.com]
omg wtf is this! [dreamkitty.com]
USB ‘Desktop safety fan’ (?) [skysis.com.tw]
USB light [gamestech.com]
USB fingerprint reader [eyenetwatch.com]
USB police strobe [impress.co.jp]
George Foreman USB iGrill (knock out da USB fat!) [thinkgeek.com]
USB electric razor [impress.co.jp]
USB noodle strainer [impress.co.jp]

Most of these products are out of Japan where they take the love of gadgets to new extremes and where the rather tiny apartments some folks live in tends to make using your PC as a power source for various appliances a much more sensible proposition. Still, does the world really need a USB powered toothbrush? Or, for that matter, noodle strainer?

Found via Boing Boing which snatched it from Slashdot.

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Comments:

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kat

Posted on 12/16/2003 at 03:51 PM

Well, not those items but that fan is mighty handy especially down here when it reaches 100 in the summertime. That would kick ass.

Hawq

Posted on 12/16/2003 at 04:25 PM

Oh my word! If you can think it sounds like you can find it!

Now it has me searching for a USB Chair massager..

kat

Posted on 12/16/2003 at 07:07 PM

ooohhh, a chair massager. Good thinking hawq.

TheCatWhisperer (Christien Lomax)

Posted on 12/17/2003 at 07:58 AM

Jebus Christ! I thought the GF Grille was a joke!!! You can really get it!! :|

I’m getting the Hello Kitty USB hub for my co-worker.. yup, he’ll love it

Les

Posted on 12/17/2003 at 09:05 AM

There’s a Firewire hub known as Hubzilla out there that looks like a variant on Godzilla you can plug your fireware devices into.

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When one reads Bibles, one is less surprised at what the Deity knows than at what He doesn’t know.
-- Mark Twain

Les

Posted on 12/17/2003 at 09:28 AM

Oh, and I don’t know about a chair massager, but I have found at least two different types of “personal” massager powered by the USB port. A general use one and one for more… intimate uses.

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When one reads Bibles, one is less surprised at what the Deity knows than at what He doesn’t know.
-- Mark Twain

Hawq

Posted on 12/17/2003 at 10:53 AM

Oh my! I see it now, sitting at work and a coworker walks by, “What is with the USB cord coming from between you legs, ? You giving birth to a computer or just that happy to see me?”

Yep I think I will pass…

The general massage isn’t bad but I suck at one handed typing, hmmm maybe I could be come rich from creating one… ****ponderance,ponderance ***

Brandi

Posted on 12/17/2003 at 06:37 PM

“Yep I think I will pass�”

Not me!!! I think the geek factor alone makes me all tingly!

Then again, I work by myself.

Ben Harrison

Posted on 09/26/2006 at 11:08 PM

Has anyone see a 4 port Ethernet switch powered by USB?

Les

Posted on 09/27/2006 at 06:46 AM

I don’t know of any 4 port switches, but I do know of at least one 5 port Ethernet switch that can be powered by USB.

It’s called the GreenHUB mini Switch from the folks at Clarinet Systems.

The GreenHub™ PW-105 Mini 5-port SOHO Switch is unique due to it’s small size and low power consumption. It can be powered by a USB cable from your PC, or through the regular power adapter included. With it’s small size, the unit can be located unobtrusively on top of your desk making connection and disconnection easier and more convenient. Using a USB cable to power the unit from your PC saves you one power extension plug as well as reducing overall energy consumption. Low power consumption of no more than 4 watts makes the PW-105 an environment-friendly device.

Advantages

Mini size
Can be powered from PC’s USB port
Low power consumption – environment-friendly

I have no idea where you can buy one of these online, but they do have a listing of brick and mortar stores around the world you could possibly pick one up from. I also don’t know if anyone else is making a switch that can be powered by USB, but I wouldn’t be surprised. I’d especially expect to see such things available in Japan where they seem to be hooking everything up to USB.

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When one reads Bibles, one is less surprised at what the Deity knows than at what He doesn’t know.
-- Mark Twain

Mean Old Bastard

Posted on 02/08/2008 at 12:53 AM