It’s Thanko time again. The Tokyo-based company, famous for gadgets like the USB-powered boob warmer, the USB eye warmer or the USB gloves, is now offering not one [JP] but two [JP] USB-powered, heated slippers – just in time for winter. I can’t decide which one is uglier, but maybe you can.

First, we have the Hot Slippers (pictured above). They are available in brown or grey and get the power they need to keep your feet warm through the USB port of your computer (Windows or Mac OS will work). Price: $23 per pair.

Then there are the Hot Room Shoes. I am not really sure what the difference to the Hot Slippers is function-wise, as these shoes are supposed to keep your feet warm via USB power, too. Price: $23 (available in M or L).

Thanko already sells both versions on their Japanese website. As the company closed their English store recently, you’ll need to contact import specialists such as the Japan Trend Shop or Geek Stuff 4 U to get a pair.

Infamous USB gadget maker Thanko can’t be stopped, it seems. They gave us USB-powered shavers, USB-powered neckties and even USB-powered boob warmers. And today the Tokyo-based company started listing the USB eye warmer [JP] in their online store. As you might expect, it warms your eyes.

Thanko says the thing is the perfect solution for geeks who want to relax their eyes, just like when you put a hot wet towel on them. Users can plug the device directly into their Windows or Mac machine’s USB port (the eye warmer supports USB 1.1 and 2.0) and switch it on or off with a button.

Thanko sells the eye warmer for $22 on their website. As their English online store closed down just recently, you’ll need to contact import specialists like The Japan Trend Shop or Geek Stuff 4 U to have them get one for you.

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Tokyo-based Thanko has brought us many USB-powered crap gadgets in the past. But in the last few days, the company has rolled out not one but four of those gadgets in rapid succession: A USB shoe dryer, USB eyelash curler, USB toothbrush sanitizer case, and a USB blanket (all links in Japanese). And you can get all of this stuff even if you live outside Japan.

The USB shoe dryer is shaped like a sleeping dog for some reason and looks like this (it’s pictured on top of this post again). It costs approximately $23 in Thanko’s online store.

Thanko is now also selling an eyelash curler you can connect to your computers USB port. Don’t ask me why. Price: About $23.

Thanko’s USB-powered toothbrush sanitizer case (based on infrared) is available for $40.10 over at Geek Stuff 4 U.

This USB blanket is kind of Japan’s answer to the Snuggie, even though you won’t look as cool wearing it. Price: About $23.

If you’re interested in any of these devices for some reason and don’t live in Japan, please don’t hesitate to contact Geek Stuff 4 U who now seem to closely collaborate with Thanko for international distribution.

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OK, now the USB gadget craze gets really silly. Tokyo-based crap USB accessory maker Thanko has been selling USB-powered slippers and gloves that are supposed to keep you warm in the past, but the new model, Dinosaur foot-shaped slipper(s) [JP] (of all things), is probably the silliest.

The thing isn’t only suitable for your feet, but can apparently serve as a warm bed for your pets, too (as Thanko shows in their official promo pics – see below). There’s a heater placed in the slipper, which is powered by USB, meaning the thing is even more useless without a PC in the vicinity.

Thanko is selling the Dinosaur foot slipper in their Japanese online store now. If you live outside Japan, head over to Geek Stuff 4 U and get them for $31.64 plus shipping.

Some Japanese gadget freaks do have a penchant for weird earphones, that’s for sure, meaning these things actually seem to sell. I doubt that otherwise, Tokyo-based accessory maker Greenhouse would have updated the buta (piggy) earphones they gave us in June 2008. It’s not a technical update but the same earphones are available in purple and orange now (see the picture on the left).

You can still get the first series, available in black, white and pink, too (pictured below). The idea remains the same: Stick one half of a pig into your right ear and the other half into the left ear. You can still choose between ear pieces in 3 different sizes (small, medium and large).

Greenhouse plans to start selling the pig earphones in Japan next week for $15 each. I suggest you contact the Japan Trend Shop, Geek Stuff 4 U or Rinkya in case you live outside Japan and you’re interested in getting one.

My first reaction – when I saw today on Thanko’s web site that the notoriously silly gadget maker from Tokyo is selling USB-powered gloves with built-in heaters [JP] – was: Who actually buys this kind of stuff? I mean Thanko is a real company, they have brick-and-mortar stores in Tokyo (two of them), they have employees etc. But they have been surviving for years now, even though they closed their English online store last month.

You can connect the gloves (black is for men, white is for women) to your computer’s USB port and expect them to keep your fingers warm while you type. Again: Who in god’s name would do that? And it’s not even Thanko’s only USB gloves, they have models that are shaped like teddy bears, too.

People living outside Japan can order the new USB gloves for $27.75 per pair plus shipping over at Geek Stuff 4 U.

Following the GPS watch introduced last week, Tokyo-based USB gadget maker Thanko is selling another product that actually makes sense. The so-called AV Bank [JP] is being marketed as a versatile media player that can be used as a music player, photo frame, video player and voice recorder. And it’s relatively cheap, too.

The device has a 4.3-inch screen with 480×272 resolution (aspect ratio: 16:9). It also features 4GB of internal memory, a microSD/SDHC slot, a USB port (needless to say as this is a Thanko product), built-in mini speakers and a retractable stand (so you can use it as a digital photo frame). The AV Bank supports AVI/FLV/3GP/RM/RMVB video files, audio in MP3 and WMA and JPEGs.

The main selling point here is the price: Windows XP/Vista/7 users can get the AV Bank for $78 on Thanko’s Japanese web site.

But there’s a problem now. International buyers will have to ask other stores like Geek Stuff 4 U to get one for them since Thanko has quietly closed their English online shop, which the company operated until last week. But I understand our friends at Geek Stuff 4 U are their connection to the Non-Japanese geek world, so today really isn’t that sad a day.

Tokyo-based Thanko, famous for its plethora of USB-enabled gadgets that make no sense whatsoever, has announced a GPS-enabled watch [JP] today. And this device has a USB (2.0) port, too. It’s compatible with Windows XP and Vista.

The so-called GPS Travel Watch shows your location, can point you to your destination and is designed to work with Google Earth. This means you can switch on the GPS module in the watch before you go hiking, come back and connect it to your PC to let Google Earth display where you’ve been on a map. It’s not the prettiest watch in the world but for a Thanko product, it makes a lot of sense.

Thanko sells the watch for $190 in its Japanese online store, but Akihabara News says Geek Stuff 4 U will list it soon for everybody living outside Japan, too.

Tokyo-based Solid Alliance is slowly but surely evolving into a serious competitor for Thanko in the wacky gadget department. So far, the company gave us a USB Ninja knife, a USB Terminator 4 skull and a spectacle-shaped USB stick. And now this: The aptly named “Crazy Earphones” [JP] (that’s their official name).

You can choose between sushi, bananas, cat paws and – my personal favorite – bolts.

Solid Alliance plans to start selling the thing in Japan in December ($22 per pair), but people living outside this country can pre-order them at Geek Stuff 4 U.

Via Akihabara News

Patent Result says Panasonic topped the list because of some valuable patents in the semiconductor and word processing software fields. The research firm gives points to all companies it scrutinizes, measuring the value of patents filed by the number of objections from competing companies, for example. It also took into account the duration of patents held by each company into consideration.

Panasonic claimed the top spot with 986,917 points, with Toshiba following at No. 2 (483,749 points) and Canon with 461,348 points. Hitachi is fourth (439,777 points), Seiko Epson is fifth (428,347 points), Sharp is sixth (414,359 points) and Sony is tenth (308,660 points). The only company not operating  in the electronics sector is Toyota at rank eight (368,196 points).

Tokyo-based crap gadget maker Thanko is rolling out another USB device, but this time the gadget (kind of) makes sense. It’s a USB mini camera [JP] that can be used for a variety of activities, including shooting pictures and videos underwater. It’s water-proof up to a depth of 20m.

The camera has 4GB of memory, a USB 2.0 interface, weighs 22g and is sized at 68×19mm. It shoots video (stored as AVI files) in 736×480 resolution (VGA) at 20fps. Charge the battery for an hour and you can use the camera for 1.5-2 hours. It’s only compatible to Windows XP and Vista, however.

The camera is already available in Japan where it costs $140, and Thanko throws in a head band for it, too. Expect it to get listed in Thanko’s international online store soon for customers living outside Japan.

I don’t know how and I don’t know why they do it. But Thanko, the Tokyo-based maker of gadgets no one needs, is now selling a USB-powered soldering iron [JP]. Alternatively, you can use the thing with a 9V battery.

Only in the latter case, you’ll be able to heat the iron up to 500℃. If you plug the device into one USB port, around 200℃ can be reached (about 300℃ with two USB ports). The USB cable is 100cm long.

Thanko offers the USB soldering iron for $28. Expect the device to get listed in the company’s English store soon.

Hat tip to Franceso Fondi [IT]

Japan’s No. 1 crap gadget maker Thanko surprisingly announced a new device today that doesn’t look too crappy: The DIGITAL MP4 AudioPlayer AV [JP], a portable media player that houses a digital camera. The device comes with 8GB of built-in memory (miniSD cards are supported and works only with Windows XP/Vista.

Buyers will get a 4.3-inch TFT screen with 480×272 (16:9 format), a USB 2.0 port, two mini speakers (5mw x 5mw (32Ω)), a mini remote control and between four and six hours of battery life (four hours for video playback). The device supports MP3WMA, JPEG and AVI(DivX)/FLV/RM/RMVB and WMV files. It weighs 150g and you can also connect it to your TV.

Thanko is selling the DIGITAL MP4 AudioPlayer AV already (price: $140). Expect them to list the player in their English store for international customers soon.

After some initial investigation, I can’t figure out how you skip tracks on this thing. Can’t figure out the volume either. Shuffle function? Not sure. There seems to be but a single button. Perhaps everything is controlled via a cryptic series of multiple button presses a la the iPod shuffle. Whatever the case, this is the “MP3 Micro Sport” from Thanko.

It fits right in your ear! So throw your hands in the air, use one of those hands to insert the device into your ear, and then proceed to wave them (your hands) like you just don’t care.

But Doug! What about my other ear?

Fear not, there’s a single earbud that runs from the device’s USB port out to your other ear.

So you’ve still got a cord to deal with unless you’re keen on listening to everything in mono.

There’s a 2GB version for $55 and a 4GB version for $77, although details beyond that are as miniscule as the product itself. Proceed with caution.

MP3 Micro Sport [GeekStuff4u via Gizmodo]

Weird, weirder, Thanko. The Tokyo-based gadget makers are unstoppable when it comes to USB stuff, including household products. They already gave us the USB-powered boob warmers, the heated USB wrist band and the USB lunch box warmer. And today it’s time for the USB-powered shaver [JP].

It takes 3.5 hours to charge the shaver through a USB connection, enough for a 35-minute non-stop shaving session. The thing is sized at 54×99×19mm, weighs 80g and comes with a cleaning brush.

Priced at just $15, the shaver doesn’t look too promising quality-wise. But hey, it’s a Thanko gadget, so the idea behind it counts. It’s not listed yet in the company’s English online store though.

The device supports both Windows Sound Recorder and Garage Band for the Mac. Needless to say, it connects via USB. Sized at 36×31×10mm, the player weighs 2.96kg.

Thanko sells the device for $100, and you probably have to wait a while for them to list it in their English online store. But Sony’s USB record player is just $50 more expensive so you might want to invest a bit more money in return for more quality.

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