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The Wii wasn’t made to be used with a keyboard, but sometimes one would come in pretty useful… So someone thought about it real hard and made one.

And the Wii Keyboard doesn’t look half bad. It might be more difficult to use than a regular keyboard, so you won’t be writing papers or novels on it, but for gaming use it looks great.

It’s not available yet, but you can preorder it for the July 18th launch.

How much under $29.99?
A little: ~$29 on Amazon.co.uk.

Via Engadget

I’ll start by stating the obvious: the USB Golf Mouse Set is ugly. It’s got a mouse shaped like a golf ball - only a bit flatter -, a green mouse pad, a flag, a small golf ball and a club.

If you’re very, excruciatingly, extremely bored at work it could offer a couple of minutes of entertainment… Or maybe more if you’re a golf fan. But the shape of the pad and the flag poking out of it probably make it pretty difficult to use, and the shape of the mouse isn’t ergonomic.

However, the mouse is the only worthwhile piece of the set, it looks kind of cool and I guess it could work as a gift for a golfer. But only if you’re a cheapskate.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $18 on Gadget4All.com.

Via ChipChick

Quick test:
1. Do you have a Nintendo DS?
2. Are you a Star Wars fan?

If you answered “yes” to both, you might be the perfect customer for a Star Wars Light Up Lightsaber Stylus. Each pack has two lightsaber replicas (Luke’s and Darth Vader’s, with the corresponding hilts) that light up from LEDs to resemble the movie versions.

I don’t find these particularly interesting, but then again I don’t understand the Star Wars fan mentality since I don’t like the movies. However, considering how much I can squee over, say, Discworld merchandise, I think it’s safe to say that these are wannabe-Jedis’ must-have items.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $16.99 on Amazon.com.

Via Gizmodo

I never thought of World of Warcraft gold sellers as more than a nuisance in trade chat. Ok, they sell gold, it’s illegal, but what do I care really? I have enough money and you get the best gear from raids, not with gold. But when the gold sellers are after my gold…

Two people in my guild had their accounts hacked within a day of each other, probably through keyloggers, and all their gold was stolen and gear sold. A few days later, the Blizzard Authenticator was released and I think it’s a brilliant idea. It works just like those things some banks have for internet banking: it generates a random code tied to your account, and you’re supposed to input it in addition to the password.

All right, some of us know how to protect their computers, why this? Well… I wouldn’t need one now, but if I played on a shared computer I wouldn’t want to risk it. Hell, I thought my brother knew enough to be safe since he’s had a computer for the past 10 years, and guess who called me last week with a computer full of worms…

The one problem with this: it doesn’t appear to be available in Europe yet. Seriously, there’s more on this Earth than the States, could we please be included?

How much under $29.99?
A lot: $6.50 on Blizzard.com.

We, people who were basically born with a computer in our lap and don’t have major sight problems, rarely think about the difficulties some might have with regular keyboards. If you touch-type you never even think about what’s written on the keys. But if I try to picture my grandma, for example… she wouldn’t be able to tell what the letters are.

The Oversized Keyboard is an affordable alternative for visually impaired computer users. It features blown-up letters on the keys - two times or more larger than the usual. It’s just a standard keyboard so don’t expect a bunch of media buttons and whatnot, but, unless you are willing to get an ordinary keyboard and paint/stick larger letters on it, this is the simplest way to go.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $19.98 on TaylorGifts.com.

Via Engadget

It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen a flash drive with a really impressive design. Who cares about what a drive looks like? Well, there’s people who want a lot of storage with a good value for money and don’t care about the appearance of their stick, and then there’s people who want to make a fashion/style statement.

The Burton Vapor USB Flash Drive, designed in partnership with snowboard manufacturer Burton, is definitely stylish. Shaped like a snowboard and with a cool black & white design, it just looks different from everything else on the market. It offers the usual 2GB storage and USB 2.0 interface, but it’s the design that sets is apart.

If black is not your thing, you can check out the other two snowboard models available: the Feelgood and the SnowDrive.

How much under $29.99?
Exactly $29.99 on CircuitCity.com.

Via ChipChick

Even computer geeks have to eat from time to time. No, you cannot live solely on chips. And, in order for food to taste good, it needs one or more condiments. Let’s stick to the basics for now: salt and pepper.

But you wouldn’t want to get confused in that foreign land the kitchen is… so get something familiar. The PC Keyboard Salt and Pepper Shakers are shaped like a P and an S key, respectively, and they have two different colors so you can tell them apart easily. The white stuff goes in the white shaker, the dark stuff goes in the black shaker. It’s easy.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $10.95 on GiftsforEngineers.com.

Via Engadget

Lack of space in a power strip is one of the most common tech-related annoyances. You have 6 outlets, but you can only use 4, because the other 2 are blocked by the bulky power adapters plugged in next to them. Even the most complex permutations can’t completely solve this, so smart power strips are the way to go.

The Socket Sense Expandable Power Strip has outlets that can move, so all you need to do is drag them out when you need to plug in a large adapter. Because their movements are not preset, you can adapt the distance between outlets to the exact size of your adapters. You can power 6 devices from it, which should be enough for most of your office/computer electricity needs.

How much under $29.99?
A little: $24.99 on ThinkGeek.com.

Summer is coming, and that means one thing: a hot laptop on my legs, making me even hotter. And with no air conditioning… you can imagine.

So I’ve been on the lookout for fans. I have a regular size one, but it’s too powerful and gives me headaches, so a desk-sized fan is probably the best. Today I ran into the Arctic Breeze, which sounds very good: USB-powered, 92mm fan, ultra quiet, with two speed options - 1200rpm and 2000rpm - and an adjustable neck. It looks ok, nothing too flashy or colorful and it has an on/off switch, so you don’t have to unplug it from the USB port every day. Nothing special about it either, but if you’re looking for a fan, not another USB convergence device, I think we’ve got a winner here.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $15.95 on Arctic-Cooling.com.

Via EverythingUSB

I feel for the guys and girls in tech support. Really. I’ve thankfully never had to do it, but every time I heard the lady at my ISP ask me about the “little icon with the computers in the right hand corner” I could feel her pain. It’s not even the people’s fault: not everyone can (or should) be techy.

In the end, some users just won’t understand, so it’s pointless trying to talk them through. The easiest way out is to just tell them something, anything, calm them down for a while, then go over and figure out the problem by yourself. The PC Dice make sure you never run out of inspiration.

You get 3 dice: one for the problem, one for the culprit and one for the solution. Just roll and put the poor user’s heart at ease; he won’t understand what you’re saying anyway.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $19.99 on ThinkGeek.com.