Wearing a suit and tie in the office can make for a hot day, but with Thanko’s latest offering, you can cool down while wearing your monkey suit. The USB-powered necktie clip cooler is just $35. Sadly it’s only available to those in Japan though.

I guess the rest of us will just have to sweat a bit longer. The device is powered by either USB or a battery. Just clip it to your tie and it will send fresh air your way. This is basically just a computer fan mounted on your tie.

If you are old enough to remember listening to music on cassette tapes, then chances are you still have a lot of cassettes laying around. Why not listen to some of that old music again and convert those tapes to MP3s. Thanko’s cassette tape to MP3 converter, called Cassette Mate will help.

The Cassette Mate connects to your computer through a USB port and the software lets users save the music and recordings as MP3 files. It will even identify the breaks between songs and saves them as separate tracks.

Thanko has introduced an ugly looking notebook desk that makes up for it’s lack of style by coming equipped with a USB hub, a laptop cooling fan and some shiny LED lights.

The built-in USB hub has 4 USB 2.0 ports, while the LED lights are powered by four batteries or USB bus power. Folks in Japan, who don’t mind a bit of ugly in their gadgets can buy the new Thanko notebook desk for about $50.

Thanko comes up with a lot of strange gadgets, but at least this time it is something useful. This pair of earphones features an integrated alarm so if your music puts you to sleep, you can always wake yourself up again.

It’s probably most useful for travelers and commuters and anyone with narcolepsy. But if you tend to fall asleep while wearing your earphones a lot, you might want to listen to something more upbeat or drink some coffee.

Thanko has released a tiny HD video camera in the shape of a USB stick. The Video Pen HD will shoot 720p, 30FPS videos from the pocket of your shirt. It stores the recordings onto microSDHC memory cards up to 32GB in capacity, and has a quarter-inch, five-megapixel CMOS sensor.

The video clips are 30 minutes in total, and the built-in battery will charge in three hours. Photos shoot at the full five-megapixel (3200×2400) size. An HDMI and USB cable are included and the device can also serve as a microSDHC card reader.

If waterbeds are good enough for humans, then why not our laptops? It should enjoy the same luxury. That’s what Thanko seems to think, since they are now offering the PC Waterbed, which is a cushion and a cooling unit for your notebook.

It will cost you $24 and I’m sure it’s all good until you puncture this thing and kill your notebook dead. It will be cool, just like you want, but dead. Is that worth $24? You decide.

Every once in a while a truly useful USB-powered device comes along, and this time it’s the USB Stapler Hub from Thanko. It retails for about $35 and is powered by 3 AAA batteries while also giving you a 4-port USB 2.0 hub.

Spare ports and a stapler all in one. It should save you some desk space on your office desk. You’ll be a stapling fool and all your office buddies will want one.

The folks at Thanko are always thinking. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes bad. Their latest creation is geared toward those who need both a Bluetooth handset and a watch and don’t mind an ugly hunk of plastic on their wrist.

The Bluetooth Handset Digital Watch from Thanko features a large LCD display that will show your basic call information, the time, and battery status. To make/receive a call, just pull it off your watch and put it in your ear.

You know how it is. You find yourself standing in the middle of a field, with your laptop. You have your laptop and a willingness to do some work, but what you lack is a desk. Maybe you like to work among nature, I don’t know.

Well, now you can erect a desk anywhere thanks to this Thanko Notebook Tripod Stand. It’s just an aluminium plate with a 1/4″ tripod thread and air vents, but it allows you to work almost anywhere. Think of the possibilities.

I don’t know about you, but I want a keyboard that’s truly portable. Something I can fit in my pocket. Well, Thanko has the answer with this full size USB keyboard which starts large, but folds down small enough to fit in your pocket.

Perfect for those who carry around netbooks. It weighs just over 8 ounces and the keyboard plays nice with both Windows and Mac platforms.

It doesn’t look like much, but Thanko just launched its first USB shortwave radio for the masses. The radio is capable of receiving both AM and FM radio signals and you can plug the device into your computer. You’ll need to install software into your computer before you can use it though.

It will also let you record and save programs in MP3 or WAV format. So if you’re looking for a shortwave radio, Thanko’s USB shortwave radio retails for $44.73.

Winter is upon us my cold and chilly friends, so while you are huddled in front of the fireplace reading the ‘Brick, we offer up some info on Thanko’s latest gadget that will keep you warm. The USB Blanket.

The blanket comes with a built-in heater. Just connect it to a USB port, and it will heat up making all your dreams of warmth come true, leaving you toasty. As long as you don’t wander too far away from a USB port anyway.

Thanko’s USB soldering iron is perfect for all of you DIYers, whether you are creating the next great console mod or building a robot from scratch. It’s a portable soldering iron powered by USB or by a 9 volt battery. I don’t have to tell you how convenient it is having a soldering iron that is portable and doesn’t plug into an outlet.

With the USB plug, it will heat up to 200 ℃, or 300 ℃ using both USB plugs. Then 500 ℃ if you use the 9 volt battery. There’s even a handy light built-in. It will only cost you $28, and will be available in Thanko’s English store very soon.

Thanko is well known for it’s crap gadgets, but every now and then they surprise us with something a bit more original and different. Thanko has now shrunk the MP3 player into a form as small as 16mm x 25mm x 22mm, weighing just 8 grams.

And you wear it in your ear adding some extra douche to your personality. A very thin cable will allow you to enjoy your tunes. The 2GB and 4GB models will cost you about $55 and $76, respectively. It could sport better looks, but some users are bound to appreciate it’s tiny size.

As far as USB gadgets go, nothing beats a little peeing man. I mean it’s a little man that pees. Your other gadgets don’t pee. It’s probably supposed to be used as a fountain or something, but really it’s completely useless. Thanko simply knows that if they build it, you will buy it…if it pees.

The joke is on you when this mini peeing dude gets water all over your computer and electrocutes you, making you pee your pants. You won’t know if its art imitating life or life imitating art and you won’t care. You’ll just be one shivering electrocuted mess curled up into a fetal position with the smell of burnt ozone around you as that little man continues to just pee away…