Looks like its time for another USB drive roundup.  Here are some of the USB flash drives I have come across over the last few weeks.

USB Key Skull Rings ($145)

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As opposed to the worlds largest keyboard I showed you guys a few days ago, this keyboard from Brando is absolutely tiny.  While it doesn’t quite qualify as the worlds smallest keyboard, at 6.6 inches it’s about as small as I could ever handle for use with a desktop computer.

It crams in 56 keys, including caps lock, num lock, and function keys, and has a mini-USB connector on the back.

The Super Tiny Keyboard can be yours for only $25.

Like most people, I really enjoy opening up newly arrived packages. Despite the fact that I have never received any treasure maps, or top secret government letters in the past, I for some reason still feel the urgent need to open all parcels about as quickly as a 5 year old on christmas morning.

Now it seems the company Bandai has taken notice of people like me, and has been wondering what the best part of receiving parcels is; opening it, or getting what’s inside?

Well apparently their research showed that the opening process wins, because on November 22nd you will be able to buy the Peri Peri Keychain toy, which lets you tear off as many envelope seals as your heart desires.

For further information on this product please view this strange video:

Strapya World via OhGizmo!

Now that Apple has successfully launched the era of the touchscreen, it is only a matter of time before your whole life is practically controlled by the tip of your finger.

Cell phones are the most obvious example of where touchscreens will soon become industry standards, so it is no surprise that there are some interesting variations on the designs being made these days. I mean they can’t all look like the iPhone right?

The Nokia 9900 design concept is a cell phone pretending to be a ink pen…or maybe its the other way around. The design features a rollable touchscreen display hidden inside a fully operational pen. Although its just a concept at the moment, it could very well be a sign of how flexible E-Ink screens can be implemented in the future.

via OnlyGizmos

Apple’s highly anticipated keynote at WWDC took place this morning to a sold out venue. The main topic of interest was of course the new 3G iPhone, which will be in stores on July 11th.

So what can we look for in the new iPhone? Appearance wise it remains similar to the original, but with thinner edges, a glossy black plastic back, and a flush headphone jack. It will be significantly cheaper this time around at just $199 for the 8GB and $299 for the 16GB (with a 2-year contract of course). Feature-wise the 3G network connection tops the list, allowing for much faster internet browsing. It will also come with a new feature called MobileMe, which automatically syncs your email, contacts, events, and photos with the phone. It comes GPS enabled, and even features a GPS assisted social networking feature from Loopt that allows you to see which of your buddies are nearby. Also, get ready for more third-party applications than you can handle, as Apple will be shipping “tools used internally to build iPhone Apps”. A dozen great applications were also demoed at the keynote, Sega’s Super Monkey Ball, and an auction tracker from Ebay. In terms of battery usage the iPhone will have 300 hours of standby battery life, 8-10 hours of 2G talk time, 5 hours of 3G talk time, 7 hours of video, and 24 hours of audio.

Firmware 2.0 will become available in July, and will be free for current iPhone owners, and $9.99 for iPod Touch owners.

Apple recently filed a patent for a device-covering solar film that could be used to charge an iPod or iPhone via exposure to sunlight. The patent also includes the use of photovoltaic cells stacked underneath the devices LCD touch screens to maximise surface area exposed to the sun, a technology similar to one recently patented by Motorola. While it might seem like a good idea at a glance, and not to mention applausable from an eco-friendly perspective, I can’t help but wonder how practical the feature would be for the average user at this time since the thin solar cell film required for the initiative is currently not efficient enough to provide a proper charge without leaving your device in the sun all day, which is just a tad bit too far away from the safety of my pocket for my own comfort…plus don’t they usually say to keep electronics out of the sun? Then again I’m all for finding new sources of energy, and solar powered devices are all the rage these days, so lets hope that Apple manages to turn this into something viable.

Engadget via DVICE

It should come as no surprise to my readers that Ergonomics is a topic of great interest to me being as how this blog is about ways to improve your work happiness and productivity. Here is a brief definition I grabbed from Wikipedia:

Ergonomics (or human factors) is the application of scientific information concerning objects, systems and
environment for human use (definition adopted by the International Ergonomics Association in 2007).

The goal of ergonomics and human factors is to make the interaction of humans with machines as smooth as possible,
enhancing performance, reducing error, and increasing user satisfaction through comfort and aesthetics.

While most of the gadgets I post about are simply pre-existing products with a unique design twist, or added features, very few of them offer any significant benefit to the user through daily use. Thus, I decided it was time to reverse that trend and to start giving you guys something you can actually put in a request for at your job through the HR department (seriously!)

To start it off, here is a product a work associate recommended to me after I had complained about some pain in my right forearm after a long day of tedious mouse clicking. The Evoluent Vertical Mouse is designed for comfort and the promotion of neutral wrist and forearm posture, thereby eliminating the risk of pain conjured by resting your arm awkwardly on your desk while you click away your day. Although it certainly took me a while to get used to the different layout of the buttons, and the somewhat extreme sensitivity of the mouse, I definitely noticed less stiffness in my arm at the end of the day.  Although I was somewhat baffled at first over why there were 5 buttons, as opposed to the 3 I’m used to on a normal computer mouse, I eventually discovered that you can actually program them for different functions within various applications.

Office master recommended!

Hello there, and welcome to our fantastic new site.

We hope to become your favorite place to waste your long work hours at, and perhaps help you find some things that will make your cubicle days seem shorter and less painful.

Stay tuned as we show you various office supplies that will ensure your celebrity status within your company, and useful gadgets that probably won’t get you a promotion, but might help you score with the hottie from HR.