As far as USB gadgets go the iSharpener USB pencil sharpener could be considered one of the more practical ones. It actually has a practical use although I can’t remember the last time that I actually wrote anything with a pencil. The device of course is powered by your computers USB connection but if you’re all your ports happen to be occupied at the time your lead breaks it can be backed up by 4 AA batteries.

The iSharpener seems simple enough and personally I think it should have been called the iSharpen, but they did add a nice little “spin” to the device. Instead of just a boring old grinding noise while watching wooden shavings fall into the plastic bin, the makers added 3 colorful LED lights inside the light up when you’re sharpening! How’s that for adding excitement to your day?

Gone are the days of having your USB devices tethered within the standard 5 meter limit of a USB cable. The Gefen USB 400FO USB extender kit uses fiber optics with full USB 2.0 standard compatibility to stretch the reach of not just one but four USB connections up to 1,650 feet or 500 meters.

The kit comes with two externally powered boxes, the send unit (USB 400FOS) and the receive unit (USB 400FOR). Your computer connects up to four USB cables to the sender unit which sends the signal as far as 500 meters to the receiver unit where it gets converted back to a USB connection to power your RC Car or Missile Launcher from almost a third of a mile away.

It looks like that USB Mini Fridge we saw earlier this year, not unlike Spiderman, has had it’s suit changed from red to black and has come up with some advanced powers. Now this little fridge that snugly fits a single 12 ounce can will not only cool it down, but can also heat it up.

The USB Mini Fridge and Heater appears to carry the same shape and always-on blue LED lighting, but now with the flick of the inline switch on the cord can heat up its contents by by 34°F or cool it down by 28°F. The little refrigerator/heater can achieve these temp changes in a matter of 5 minutes and is powered by a standard USB connection to just about any computer.

Deluo, the same company that recently brought us the Bluetooth GPS for smartphones, also has available the Deluo GPSMouse. As the name implies the GPSMouse combines a GPS receiver and a travel mouse into one product.

This 2 in1 gadget first works as a normal, USB-powered optical travel mouse with a lightweight design for taking with you on the go. It even has a retractable USB cord built-in to help keep it compact. In addition, through a flick of a switch on the bottom it instantly transforms into a GPS receiver connected to your computer through the same USB cable and offering positional assistance without having to have a separate device. The MouseGPS can also optionally come packaged with Microsoft Streets & Trips giving you both pointer and street navigation in one device. What we’d really love to see is the next version of this MouseGPS to be wireless Bluetooth as well.

For notebook or PC users that want to improve their quality of sound emanating from their machine Asus is pleased to bring to you the Xonar U1. This USB audio device looks like it should belong on the head of a member of Devo but in fact it clears up the electromagnetic interference and removes any residue static created by your computer’s circuitry using a digital to analog converter (DAC).

Gateway delivered today to consumers an advanced high definition display which promises 1600p. The new Gateway XHD3000 is priced at around $1,700.

The Gateway XHD3000 is described by Gateway as a “quad-HD” display. It offers up a 30-inch, 2560×1600 resolution widescreen display supported by a Silicon Optix Realta HQV video processor. The display offers built-in upconversion to take 1080p images to 1600p and is capable of connecting to a variety of devices via range of inputs including HDMI, single-link/dual-link DVI-D, VGA, component, s-video and composite interfaces.

This is the perfect accessory for any Doctor fan. Robot fans in general will appreciate this new Dalek with a webcam inside. This has got to be one of the coolest webcams ever. Aside from being bent on robot domination, this Dalek is also plug and play, with LEDs that let you know when it gets powered on. Just open the lens door to expose it’s hidden watching eye. A built in microphone allows you to send sound along with your video. You know, in case he creeps you out and you need to call for help.

Here are the specs:

Resolution: 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Dimensions: approx. 3.33″ tall
Features: Hinged lens cover, microphone, LED power on indicators, removable monitor clip, USB/microphone cable (approx. 55″ long), Plug and Play Includes:Removable Monitor Clip and Drivers disc (Windows only)

Some things walk a thin line between useless and utility, and while I can think of a situation where a USB rechargeable razor would have been more convenient than a battery powered or car chargeable one, I can only think of one. So if you’re a student at a college like the one I used to hike near, and you needed to erase that 5 o’clock shadow before a night class after spending the day with your laptop studying the environment and wanted to fit your razor easily in your laptop case pouch, this might be useful.

The device’s robustness with respect to its ability to shave anything more than a 5 o’clock is suspect, and I question its durability and longevity. Suggested retail price is $19.95 but this thing is so gimmicky it seems like something you’d get as a door prize in a drawing at a sales convention.

Today Kensington unveiled the Liquid FM Plus FM transmitter as part of a multi-product mass launch of devices. The LiquidFM Plus provides some MP3 listening convenience in somewhat of a ho-hum FM transmitter which houses a few nice but mostly not uncommon add-ons.

The gadget allows users to connect an MP3 player through the standard 3.5mm headphone jack (or through a 2.5mm adapter for cell phones) and then sends and FM signal to a car FM stereo, allowing you to listen to your MP3 player in virtually any car on the go.

Visioneer, a developer of imaging solutions, is out today with a slim, USB-powered color flatbed scanner. The new OneTouch 7400 USB scanner is priced at around $100 and available now.

The Visioneer OneTouch 7400 USB offers the ability to scan up to 1200×1200 dpi in 48-bit color. Five buttons on the body of the scanner let you scan, copy, OCR, email and do a custom task. These five functions are geared towards doing the entire process in one touch, says Visioneer, and not just opening an application.

At first glance this noisy little car powered by USB doesn’t seem that interesting, but much to our surprise it’s actually kind of cool. The USB RC Car is an actual radio controlled car that gives about 5 minutes of remote controlled drive time with a 10 minute charge.

The car comes with a small garage complete with a door that closes which houses the car when it’s not in use and also acts as the charger and the wireless transmitter. The garage connects to a Windows XP or 2000 computer through a 4 foot USB cable and transmits 6-way directional signals from an on-screen graphical interface that’s controlled with the keyboard.

LG has a new non-high def DVD burner that should hit the market within days, sporting a very slim and portable design. The LG Slim DVD burner is completely USB powered requiring no additional cables to run, helping you to conveniently burn discs and drain the battery from your notebook when you’re on the go.

The device measures only .84 inches thick and weighs less than a pound making it very portable, housing the ability to burn DVD+R / RW, DVD-R / RW, and DVD-RAM discs as fast as …

Take a look at this smooth looking Travelsound i50 iPod Shuffle dock/speaker from Creative. Mount a Shuffle on the top and clip it to your stuff to have a portable, rechargeable 2 channel 700mW speaker output wherever your go.

The i50 measures 128×47×15mm, weighs only 85g and is powered by an internal lithium polymer battery that charges via USB (and can charger your Shuffle at the same time) to give as much as 15hrs of continuous sound-sharing playback from the speaker dock.

The Travelsound i50 is currently selling in Japan for $69 each.

FarEastGizmos …

Although it makes me shudder every time, when I see this lamp I envision a multitude of these little things mounted on the walls of programmer cube farms so managers can make sure the keyboards are always going. Due to this I think this lamp is just a horrible invention. Of course, I’m sure it can be used for purposes of good as well, and with a little therapy I can probably get there.

Canon today has officially launched the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III digital camera featuring a 21.1 megapixel CMOS sensor with the Dual “DIGIC III” image processor, a 3 inch LCD display with Live View and multiple brightness settings and a shutter speed of 5 fps giving bursts of as many as 45 full resolution JPEGs or 12 RAWs at a time.

The camera uses a recording mediums of CF Cards, SD/SDHC (1 slot each), and can also use an external USB hard drive through an optional transmitter. It’s powered by a …