Everything comes with a USB cable nowadays, and spare USB ports are often in short supply. Once you've plugged in your keyboard, your speakers, your memory stick, your smartphone, your iPod, your MIDI controller, your mug warmer, and your rechargeable batteries...heck, you've got nowhere to put your USB light!
But if your USB ports are kind of at a premium right now, we have the solution. USB hubs!
These nifty little gadgets can exponentially expand your USB capabilities. Take the Cassette Tape USB Hub, for example - that cassette is fitted with four USB ports, so when you plug it into one of your PC's ports, you're effectively quadrupling the number of gadgets that you can plug in.
And aside from their main function, these USB hubs make pretty cool desk toys, too! The cassette tape has actual spinning ribbobns on the inside, and the Vintage Racer USB hub has pull-back action - pull it back, watch it speed away, and entertain yourself all day long!
At the heart of it, Gadget Inspector is all about one thing and one thing only: having fun! Here are five four of the funnest, funkiest gadgets we have to offer:
Hot Cookie USB Mug Warmer
At first glance it just looks like a coaster, but trust us, the Hot Cookie is much, much more than that. It comes with a USB lead - plug it into your computer and the cookie will heat up, keeping your tea or coffe nice and toasty for longer!
DIY Calculator
It's the calculator that you can doodle on! Draw the numbers on yourself (in the wrong order, if you want to confuse people) and decorate the calculator in your own unique style.
Pixel Time Clock
If you're an avid fan of retro video games, this clock is a must-have addition to your home. The blocky look is in right now, we're told!
Katana Bookends
Don't merely store your books on a shelf - impale them on a cool samurai sword! (Note: you don't actually have to drive a sword through your books. It's an optical illusion.)
Return to the Gadget Inspector homepage for more fun gadgets!
It's one of Pixar's most popular franchises - only Toy Story comes close in terms of the merchandise it spawned - but how much do you really know about Pixar's Cars (and its sequel, Cars 2)? With a third movie now in the pipeline, here are five cool facts about Lightning McQueen and his anthropomorphic automobile allies:
- Several Cars characters (including Sally and, in Cars 2, Giuseppe) are named after characters from Isaac Asimov's Sally, a short story about - guess what? - sentient cars. Asimov, of course, is best known for writing I, Robot and coming up with The Three Laws of Robotics.
- Luigi, the Italian car who runs the tyre shop, has the following number plate: 445-108. These are the exact co-ordinates for Ferrari's factory in Modena (Luigi states in the first film that he is a big Ferrari fan).
- Doc Hudson was voiced by Paul Newman in one of his very last roles. In addition to his considerable acting talents and his non-profit salad dressings, Newman was a keen motorsport enthusiast and, at one point, a professional racer himself. Clearly, he was the perfect choice for the role!
- A British writer named Jake Mandeville-Anthony tried to sue Disney, claiming that they stole his idea for Cars. According to Mandeville-Anthony, he had written a screenplay called Cars in the late eighties and sent it to numerous companies (including Disney), complete with character sketches and plans for the merchandise. The lawsuit was dismissed after a judge decided that the two works didn't really bear any relation to one another.
It is that time of the day again where we launch another deal, and close the deal from the previous day! From 10am today, until 10am tomorrow, for our 6th day of 12 Days of Christmas, we are reducing the prices of the following bags by 15%! This includes the Retro Superman Bag, the Retro Star Wars (Clone Trooper) Bag and the Retro Batman (Dark Knight) Bag. So, what are you waiting for? Get your hands on one of these awesome bags before the deal runs out! Don't forget to keep your eyes peeled for the rest of the week, as we will be releasing more 12 Days of Deals!
For day 5 of our wonderful '12 days of Christmas' here at Gadget Inspector, we've knocked a whopping 15% off all our Houdini products. These are the perfect stocking fillers for children and grown-ups alike this Christmas and are guaranteed to keep the little ones quiet all day as they try and work out these puzzles! The Houdini products included in this massive discount are:
So what are you waiting for? Grab them while you can, the discount only lasts 24 hours!
