It looks like everybody's source of wonderfully useless gadgets has managed to pull yet another trick out of its hat, with Brando now breaking the common sense mold once again with the so-called " Stylus Hanging Bluetooth Headset." Apparently targeting those that find traditional Bluetooth headsets a little too convenient, this wonder of convergence crams a full-fledged Bluetooth headset into an over-sized PDA stylus, which will let you both talk on the phone and use your PDA -- just not at the same time (unless you use the earphone attachment, that is). $30 and it's yours.
We know, there's only so much you can do to a foam donut to make it, well, more than a foam donut, but Brando's trying its best to one-up the competition by adding in a stand. With Mario Kart Wii launching in under a fortnight (in the US, at least), the Wii Multi-Axis Racing System is vying for those hard-earned dollars by giving racers the ability to grip something stuck to an immobile surface rather than just flailing around with some sort of lightweight Wiimote-engulfing circle. And at just $18, it even gives the first-party Wii Wheel some serious competition. Okay, so maybe "serious" is an overstatement.
You must doing something right to capture the attention of third party accessory makers. Meet Brando's $18 Car and $23 Travel Chargers for the Eee PC. Of course, ASUS already sells an official travel charger so really, only the Car Charger is likely to garner any interest. Still, it does makes us wonder if a "Made for Eee" logo and licensing tithes are just around the corner?
If you're like us, you're sure to have fond memories of gathering around the radio in your jammies on Saturday morning and listening to the likes of Adventures in Odyssey and Life with Luigi; an experience that was only marred by the smell of your Dad's rotting stereo speakers. Maybe that was just us? Well, perhaps you can learn to commiserate with this USB Aroma Radio + Speaker from Brando. It sounds a lot like that Aroma Geur radio we saw a while back, only it's about $400 cheaper and probably much less likely to synchronize its aromas and LEDs to the music. You can also use the unit as a line-in speaker if you've had enough of radio -- and who hasn't.
Apparently, the Eye Toy craze has extended well beyond Sony's famed PlayStation brand, and it looks as if the ANEO GX-10 is a new (and inexpensive) way to get the same kicks in a different fashion. Offered up at none other than Brando, this USB-connected device enables PC users to interact with a trio of games (Kungfu, Super Knight, and Funny Stair for those already on the edge of their seat) as well as spark up a video chat on a whim. Granted, we don't expect this thing (nor the software) to be of top-shelf quality, but hey, it's hard to knock for $33.
Egads, Brando has stepped out of their techno-kitsch stronghold and into something potentially useful. The appropriately cryptic STYSEN E08 is a 2.5-inch USB 2.0 SATA disk enclosure with a bit of RFID trickery baked in. With the RFID fob in hand (and at an unspecified range), the drive can be encrypted and decrypted -- an LED glows to communicate the drive's locked or unlocked state. Unfortunately, there's no details about the "hardware-based encryption" used which makes us wonder about the level of safety vs. gimmickry within. Yours for $56 with 2x RFID keys... you know, just in case.
We thought Brando had finally reached the pinnacle of jokey USB armaments with its recent wireless missile launcher -- the third such product in this evolving line -- but apparently there is demand out there for a remotely-operated version capable of waging war over the internet. Filling this strange market gap will be the USB MSN Missile Launcher, which tacks a webcam onto the standard version and allows your buddies on the Microsoft network to randomly shoot at you throughout the day. Again, we're not sure who buys a weapon whose main purpose is to attack its owner, so the $49 device may not be the huge hit its predecessors were when it 'launches' on the 18th.
Generally speaking, we've seen digital photo frames get additional features, boosts in screen size and increases in resolution, but Brando is taking innovation in the opposite direction with its "portable" iteration. After triple checking to make sure this wasn't some sort of sick holiday prank, it looks as if the firm actually is offering up a 2.4-inch frame that touts a 320 x 240 resolution panel, comes with your choice of transparent or heart-shaped frames and gets its juice from a built-in Li-ion / USB port. Heck, you'll even get 16MB of internal storage space -- enough for 32 photos! If you're absolutely sure the novelty won't wear off after 7.3 minutes of use, feel free to cough up $45 and bring one home.
Never content with leaving their gimmicky products as is, the perfectionists over at Brando are prepping yet a third iteration of the wildly-popularUSB missile launcher, with the new model featuring an upgrade to wireless control. Cubicle commandos now have over a 15-foot range from their workstations to wage this geekiest form of warfare, thanks to a two-part system that connects transmitter and launcher with a proprietary RF signal. If you happen to work in the type of environment that condones this sort of silly behavior, or just want to go out with a bang, the set can be yours for $45 starting on the 20th.
You'd be sporting the very same expression of horror if your jolly ass was strapped to a Brando remote controlled helicopter. The rechargeable unit features a "super wide" IR remote and spare tail prop for $25. Rudolph's wrath: free.
These days, it takes some serious differentiating to set your 4-port USB hub apart from the rest, but iMONO's latest actually doesn't do a half bad job at standing out. This alternative arrives in a trio of colors, sports 5 LEDs, weighs 30-grams and offers up four individual on / off switches in order to power up / down each socket separately. Sure, not everyone would find such a feature immediately useful, but why would you want to waste energy on that USB seat cooler when those G-Gloves are what's necessary to keep you from slipping into hypothermia? Grab yours now for $18 -- we're sure you'll figure out some clever use for it.
Connectland's USB Moody Ball may look awfully soothing, yet awfully familiar at first glance. If so, you're probably conjuring up memories of the Ambient Orb, which this device no doubt takes more than a few design cues from. Nevertheless, this USB-powered soul soother automatically changes hues to ease your mind, is constructed from "bump-resistant" materials and weighs in at 179-grams. Best of all, this one's just $20, but convincing your boss to leave the office lights dim just so your Moody Ball can have a greater effect will be the real challenge.
Brando, e-tailer of products that you didn't even know existed -- and some that probably shouldn't -- has just released a new USB hub capable of handling SATA and eSATA drives to boot. That's right, along with hooking up five USB peripherals of your choice, you can also use the combo hub as a quick and easy way to swap out external hard drives without dealing with enclosures, RAID controllers, and the like -- at the expense of transfer speeds, of course. Available immediately, the mutant hub is going for a mere $33, or $43 if you want Old Man Brando to bundle in a power cord, too.
We're not entirely convinced you want your computer spewing moisture into the air, let alone "fragrance oils," but sometimes you gotta bring the tacky, and it's at that moment Brando will be there with the USB humidifier. Featuring ultrasonic vapor action and a high-tech blue LED, this .67-ounce humidifier probably won't have any effect on the surrounding air unless you add in those optional aroma oils, but let's face it -- you can probably dampen your pipes and makes things smell a good deal better by just taking a shower, Sparky.
Are you that guy in our comments always asking the now wearisome question, "Will it blend?" Yeah? Good, this is for you. The Brando USB blender, $25 and an earful of 70's game show jingles as punishment for your deeds. Oh, and because you're that guy you should heed Brando's warning: do not eat the balls. Good advice for any occasion, really.
