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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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].

Every once in a while, Tokyo-based crap gadget maker Thanko does release a gadget that’s not completely silly. This new USB record player [JP] for use with a Windows PC (XP and Vista) or Mac (OS X) is not really that exciting, but it’s one of them.

It’s Thanko time again. Today the Tokyo-based crap gadget company released another of their weird inventions, the Shoubenkozou [JP], a cupid-like mini figure that for some reason is able to “pee”. And needless to say, the thing can be connected to your computer’s USB port.

Tokyo-based crap gadget specialist Thanko is usually known for selling USB stuff nobody needs. Their newest hit product doesn’t feature a USB port, but the target group for their Catgirl Earphones [JP] should be quite small, too. Marketed as a gadget for the Cosplay crowd, the earphones are supposed to turn your girlfriend into a cute catgirl.

Does your dental plan suck? Are you afraid of the dentist? If yes, then the Dental Microscope [JP], offered by Tokyo-based crap gadget specialist Thanko, might be the right choice for you. Similar to its lightoscope released back in April, this new microscope is a combination of a microscope and a light. Needless to say, there’s a USB port, too.

USB gadget specialized Thanko strikes again. This time, the Tokyo-based company gives you a small portable camera [JP] that can be attached to your bike or helmet, for example. The so-called Action Camera is similar to a device Thanko released in May, but this new model isn’t waterproof.

But it can record video at 30fps (in 640 x 480 VGA), weighs just 80g and stores video on MicroSD cards (up to 2GB, the internal memory is 32MB only). Charge the battery for 2.5 hours and you can use the Action Camera for up to 2 hours. Needless to say, there is also a USB 2.0 port (this is a Thanko product, after all).

Yet another USB gadget from Thanko: This time the Tokyo-based company surprises us with a USB can cooler and heater [JP]. That’s right, you basically get two practical devices for the price of one (a simple switch does the trick).

Plug the gadget into a USB port and it will keep your beverage warm in the winter and cold in the summer. Thanko says this is usually the case for about 4 hours (after that, the cooling/warming effect wears off). The device features a temperature range of between 7 and 50°C.

Following the spy button camera that just came out last week, a USB necktie with a built-in camera and a camera watch, Tokyo-based gadget maker is now offering a pen with an integrated micro camera [JP]. The so-called Super Slim Video Pen isn’t as spectacular as previous spy gadgets from that company but comes with a decent price, at least.

Tokyo-based crap gadget maker and USB specialist Thanko has a weakness for PC mice. In the last weeks, they gave you the “mid-air” mouse, a mouse with insects in it, a heated and a cooling mouse. The last one, a “silent” mouse that makes almost no sound when using it, seems to be a perfect fit for Thanko’s newest invention: a silent keyboard [JP].

Thanko, specialists of all things USB, brought us many good things in the past. Camera-wise, the Tokyo-based company rolled out a water-proof mini camera, a USB necktie with a built-in camera, not one but two video watches and (just recently) an HDV camera.

But these fantastic devices had one flaw: They were small, but not small enough. Reason enough for Thanko to announce the video camera button today [JP]. Needless to say the camera comes with a USB port (this is a Thanko product), 4GB of internal memory and the ability to shoot video in VGA at 15fps.

Tokyo-based USB gadget specialist Thanko has been quite active in the last few days, having launched two PC mice in a row. One of these devices is silly, the other isn’t: You can now get a mouse with a built-in mini fish tank [JP] of sorts (Liquid Mouse) and one which hardly makes any noise [JP] (Silent Mouse EX).

One of our favorite crap gadget makers, Tokyo-based Thanko, seems to put a lot of thought into their silly products when summer time nears. Or do you have another explanation for things like the USB cooler keyboard, mouse or necktie? The newest idea: A notebook stand, which is (kind of) portable and sports two fans that are supposed to cool down the user working in the summer heat.

It seems Tokyo-based crap gadget maker Thanko finally managed to come up with a device that’s not (too) crappy. The device in questions is a HDV (not HD, mind you) video camera [JP] measuring 99×53×23mm and weighing just 95g.