Why bother with complicated storage solutions when you can go simple and flexible? Literally flexible.

The GearGripper is a strip of soft posable foam, which can be bent in any shape to hold all sorts of objects. Ok, all sorts of gadgets, we know that’s what we need it for.

I’m all for things that help me control the chaos, even more so if they can be customized. How often do you find something that can hold your cell phone, your camera and your mp3 player, maybe even a pen or two? If you’re naturally a messy person, you can just put the Gripper on top of the desk and press things into it as you stop needing them. No opening of drawers, docking stations or God knows what…

And, since we mentioned it, this can make a great desk organizer too, for those “everything goes” drawers where you can never find anything. Two of these thrown in and problem solved.

(All messiness comes from lack of proper storage options, not lack of interest on the part of the user. Fact.)

How much under $29.99?
A lot: $4.99 on Amazon.com.

Via RedFerret

There’s many funny random things that can turn into a quick gift, but the Pre-chewed Pencils aren’t included. For the sake of the birthday people, I hope they aren’t included in any list.

Yes, they might be funny for about 10 seconds… but then again you could just buy some regular pencils and chew them instead of paying £1.50 for them in a store.

(Brownie points for an original idea, though. But we don’t want to know who chews them.)

How much under $29.99?
A lot: £1.50 on Concentrate.co.uk.

Via BoingBoing

The year just started, so what does everyone need? That’s right, calendars. Even if you use the Windows version all the time, it still makes a nice desk decoration.

In the case of the Plantable Seed Calendar, it can also make for a nice garden. Weird statment? Not really: each of the pages comes with embedded seeds, so once put into the ground and watered it will sprout wildflowers (Bird’s Eye, Clarkia, Coreopsis, Poppy, Catchfly and Snap Dragon).

The tin it comes in is perfectly reusable too, thus making it a very eco calendar and the perfect beginning-of-year present for those aware of the environment.

How much under $29.99?
A little: $24.95 on OliveBarn.com.

Via GearDiary

Your cubicle is not your home. You might spend more time in it than your actual apartment, but it’s a cubicle.

I don’t know why someone would need a door bell when you can hear everything that goes around you anyway, but hey, some people need good manners in their life wherever they are. The Cubicaller is a velcro-mounted door bell that’s supposed to go on your cubicle wall so visitors can announce their presence in a polite way.

And it’s tons* of fun! There’s 12 different sounds to choose from (which you can sample on the company website) and 3 levels of volume.

*Ok, about 2 grams actually. *yawn* Only for the bored at work.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $14.99 on Cubicaller.com.

Via bookofjoe

I couldn’t imagine living without my cell phone, for reasons related to communication… and lack of certain skills. To translate, I can’t remember to change the battery in my watch (for the past 4 years…) and I can’t do basic math in my head.

The watch thing is simple to solve, but the math less so.

Credit Card Calculator to the rescue! No, it doesn’t have anything to do with the economic crisis: it’s a solar-powered calculator the shape and size of a card, which fits a wallet perfectly and can be at hand all the time… even when the phone runs out of battery. And, of course, it looks much classier than using a cell phone.

But remember that you’ll need a backup on rainy days.

How much under $29.99?
A lot: $6 on PureModern.com.

Via DVICE

I missed this on in the big post about circuit board presents, but that’s no reason not to feature it now.

Following the reusable computer parts trend and targeting the eco-tech crowd, the Recycled Circuit Boards Notebook is made from components that would’ve otherwise ended up in the landfill. (That’s not the portable computer type of notebook, by the way, it’s the kind you use a pen to write on.) A unique, if not very practical means of recycling and turning an ordinary object into something novel.

The notebooks come in two sizes, and I strongly hope the circuit boards aren’t too heavy and that they’ve been covered in some sort of protective varnish to keep the pointy bits from getting tangled in clothes or pricking fingers.

How much under $29.99?
Some: £6.97 – £9.97 on FirstImpressionsLastLonger.com.

Wannabe musicians often use office supplies to fuel their passion when they’re bored, to the distress of their poor co-workers.

If you see them coming in one morning with a pair of Drum Stick Pencils, run as far as possible. They’re purely designed to cause annoyance.

Think about it: what do pencils have inside? Yes, graphite. And what happens with graphite when continuously bumped againt a desk? Indeed, it breaks into tiny little pieces. Result: they can’t be used as pencils anymore, but since they’re already there might as well do some drumming…

No point whatsoever to these, except as silly novelty gift for a drummer. Not for cubicle work unless you want to be lynched.

How much under $29.99?
A lot: $8.95 on Amazon.com.

Via OhGizmo

Henry the Hoover was here before, a couple of months ago. This miniature version of the iconic British vacuum cleaner takes care of one area that usually doesn’t get the attention of its big brother: the desk.

We know that eating at the computer is bad, and we don’t care. Henry just sits there looking cute until it’s clean-up time, when he dos his thing and leave the place sparkly clean. Or as close as it can get to that, since it can’t exactly sterilize the place.

And now… he’s got a girlfriend. The Hetty Desktop Vacuum does the same thing, only in pink. If you had a problem with Henry’s color, now is the time to show off your girly side.

How much under $29.99?
Some: £9.95 on Firebox.com.

Via ShinyShiny

Save the world with a bike chain!

Uh, what?

This is more or less the idea behind the “Unchain Your Business” Card Holder. Handmade from a recycled bike chain, it’s supposed to express your love for the environment and for sports.

I think that’s taking the whole green thing too far, but it’s a cool desk decoration nonetheless and the perfect gift for a cyclist.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $20 on UncommonGoods.com.

Via ModernEcoHomes

There’s lots of reasons people would want to destroy CDs: sensitive information; paranoia. Either way, manually scratching a ton of discs is a lot of trouble, so why not get a device that can do it with less trouble.

The Sanyo “The Claw” has a scary name, although it doesn’t act exactly like a claw. What it does is punch a lot of small holes in discs, rendering them unreadable, and it can hold up to 20 CDs in the flip down catch tray.

It can only destroy the CDs one at a time though, so it might take a while to make sure no one reads the company records from the past 10 years…

How much under $29.99?
A little: $7.99 on Amazon.com.

Via BoingBoing