USB hub brings Japanese exit sign to your desktop

We love exit signs in Japan. They frame just about every door and hallway: guy with briefcase freaking out and bolting out an open door. This is clearly not the first USB hub in an unusual form factor, but Donya has fed our love for the panicky icon. Complete with ports on the little guy's feet and briefcase, he's available for about $10 or ¥999.

[Shervin @ May 12th 2008 12:24PM]

Found it here for $7.42 shipped.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11142

[Chris @ May 12th 2008 1:20PM]

Woot! Thanks for this, sacked off the Japenese!
I'm buying this! Free shipping to UK too! Bargain!
Thanks for the link ;) (Y)

[Zed @ May 12th 2008 2:12PM]

dealextreme is awesome, i recommend it to everybody. free shipping and super cheap (price) products. cant go wrong.

[Greg @ May 24th 2008 8:15PM]

You can get them at $6 with this multi offer: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11142~r.94125401

[jonathan @ May 12th 2008 12:30PM]

kind of reminds me of the crosswalk guy in east berlin

http://www.pbase.com/clever_name/image/72497381

[ParaXnoia @ May 12th 2008 12:34PM]

Coincidence this looks like the AOL running guy?

[Wyze @ May 12th 2008 1:15PM]

clearly the AOL guy has his opposite hand extended...they look nothing alike!!.....

[NHAnimator @ May 12th 2008 2:50PM]

...and the AOL guy is yellow. Oh, sorry. That was probably a racist statement.

The AOL guy is purply-challenged.

[Ryan Trevisol @ May 12th 2008 12:36PM]

It's the same guy I saw in Italy. All the uschita signs had him, only in Italy, we don't need no stinking briefcases.
http://ul.photoshelter.com/gallery-img-show?G_ID=G0000DBhdZ81OaiQ&P_ID=&start=193&pagtotal=428

[Andrew @ May 12th 2008 1:24PM]

I believe we use the same sign all over Europe. At least here in Scandinavia we all use that sign (without the briefcase).

[ssuk @ May 12th 2008 12:40PM]

Let's Rock!

[telepheedian @ May 12th 2008 12:48PM]

Reminds me of the exit signs in Portal.

[boe @ May 12th 2008 12:50PM]

We have the same signs on the 405 near San Diego - means that part of the highway is an illegal alien crosswalk.

[eRk @ May 12th 2008 1:58PM]

yea, but those signs are *much* funnier... and it's a womon with kids running behind her.

[Jarrod Frates @ May 12th 2008 3:00PM]

That's I-5. The 405 doesn't go anywhere near San Diego, terminating in a merge with I-5 north of Lake Forest, around 80 miles north of San Diego.

[conor @ May 12th 2008 6:46PM]

you just made my day!

[macserv @ May 12th 2008 12:56PM]

I hear that if you keep following the signs that look like this, you'll find some cake.

[UKNigel @ May 12th 2008 1:04PM]

That may seem to be true, but the cake is still a lie.

[Ray @ May 12th 2008 1:09PM]

Oh, man. No Way! You are like the most clever person ever. I NEVER heard that one before. I guess all my efforts of writing "the cake is a cliche" on the back of bus seats have been wasted.

[Esat Dedezade @ May 12th 2008 1:35PM]

Ray.

Chill.

[Starnerf @ May 12th 2008 1:08PM]

Cactuar got a job?

[Strangely Brown @ May 12th 2008 1:20PM]

Actually, this guy is the icon for almost every exit sign in the world. Only in the US do you have signs spelling out the word "EXIT". Of course, this is all in accordance with our unofficial policy that, in an emergency, only English-speakers should be allowed to live.

[finnith @ May 12th 2008 2:39PM]

It's in Canada, too. What does that make us?

[Farris @ May 12th 2008 2:48PM]

finnith:

Baby America?

:-P

[conor @ May 12th 2008 6:51PM]

America's hat!

[Jason Collin @ May 12th 2008 9:30PM]

And the U.S. is one of the only countries to not put the numeric value on its coins.

[Paul @ May 12th 2008 1:23PM]

haha more obscure usb accessories

[wizard_of_odd @ May 12th 2008 1:50PM]

If he bears any resemblance to the AOL "running man " it's purely coincidental , this simple image has existed for a over 20 years, admittedly I kinda want one .

Besides nowadays the AOL "running man" seems to be running away from the Hindenburg class disaster that is the rapidly failing AOL "business plan" ( more like self imposed , regretful self internment )...

[Chrisboff @ May 12th 2008 2:21PM]

The fire exit signs in the UK are very similar to this:

http://www.staples.co.uk/ENG/images/products/uk_383389_1_std.jpg

[Wwhat @ May 13th 2008 9:21AM]

Nope, that's not a pleasant character, and he has no briefcase

[DimeStoreHood @ May 12th 2008 5:29PM]

It's the sign on Adam West's private bathroom.

[Kal Cole @ May 12th 2008 7:33PM]

Actually I just came back from touring 7 countries in Europe and these green exit signs are all over Europe. Not just Japan & Italy!
The EU likes to standardize things and I guess it makes sense to have the same exit signs no matter what country you're in.

The reason I remember this is that in Germany, it sometimes has the word "Uschita" underneath, which means "exit"
But I speak creole (from haiti) and in that language it means 'sit down'!

[Denden @ May 12th 2008 10:39PM]

http://www.signmall.jp/on/show/more-11315050820_u_995310.html

It seems that Japan has a love of all things Portal. The first time I saw this I had no idea what it was. Still don't quite understand the logic behind it.

[mmh @ May 13th 2008 12:43AM]

Probably a fallout shelter or a place to take cover in the event of an earthquake, which is frequent in Japan.

[freik @ May 13th 2008 12:45AM]

That's what they look like in China too. Oh, and that's exactly what all the Chinese businessmen looked like when they were pushing my children out of their way to get out of the Xi'an airport yesterday, too...

[Leon @ May 13th 2008 1:02AM]

I read Engadget.com on regular base which I love and normally not react, but now I would like to react, since the I sell the USB man in my webshop. This USB man can be bought here in Thailand for about 3 euro's and is available for some months already! Everytime I walk in a computer shoppingmall here I find some new gadget. Maybe the editors of Engadget need to go to Asia more often to see what's new in Asia (not sure they do that already or not?).

I don't want to advertise my webshop, but the running man as I call this hub can be found on my webshop by this link (not as cheap as DealExtreme though): http://usb4all.nl/joomla/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=40&category_id=7&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

[Wwhat @ May 13th 2008 9:22AM]

"(not as cheap as DealExtreme though)"
Wow, impressive honesty there.