Gadgets Monkey tipped us about this one – Buffalo of Japan has limited edition USB flash drives. Buffalo is finally getting past the simple silk-screen and going with molded statuettes. The limited edition figurine collection (only 5000 to be made) is comprised of Mickey Mouse taking the helm, Winnie the Pooh, doing what he does best – eating, and Stitch getting loose on his surfboard.

Available only in Japan sometime in February you’d better make the jump if you’re looking to A) buy some because you’re a Disney freak or B) looking to make a quick buck from an eBay addicted Disney fan.

The BeoLab 9 from Bang & Olufsen is the latest high-end loudspeaker system with performance past it’s modest design. Using B&O’s Acoustic Lens Technology the treble area sits atop the loudspeaker as if a lighthouse.

This position gives a uniform sound in front of the bass and midrange tones so even the unappreciated will notice the high range – at least that’s the idea. Although the BeoLab 9 is a little Star Trek looking,

LaCie unveils the first speaker system to harness FireWire connectivity for superior audio quality. Although USB is the front runner for connectivity, we’ve gotta give credit where credit is due. LaCie teamed with designer Neil Poulton for this simple and elegant style.

If you are not familiar with his work, Neil does give an interesting perspective for his motivation:

The Ion Audio iPod DJ Mixer is a compact console which docks two iPods for mixing at your late night shingdigs. Using the iPod Mixer you can also connect two additional turntables or MP3/CD players. Reading through the specs I noticed you can take things a step further and connect via S-Video, so the Ion Audio could be a good video mixer for schools, churches or corporate applications where you have multiple people presenting and don’t want to fumble around with PC connections and projectors.

The Ion Audio Mixer accommodates the 3rd gen iPods, mini and photo iPod. Inputs include what’s mentioned above along with microphone input. The iPod Mixer does have a turn-wheel, but I read this doesn’t allow one to scratch the music but rather used for navigation- damn! If you’re looking to scratch iPod audio then check out

Yep, Japanese company Century tweaked a PCB board to house 16 USB ports. Not bad for a USB addicted gadget freak and with an internal power supply even those poorly made USB flash drives that suck too much juice…will have…well, juice. Also included are two PC USB-B adaptors to spread the wealth of 16 ports. Doubt this will make it to the US so here’s the company link for 16 port USB hub.

Lindy has a useful USB VoIP adapter which saves your computer speakers for the important stuff, like music. Many times the headset plug is used for external speakers so this USB VoIP adapter has both a microphone and headset plug. Another bonus is the USB audio adapter works for both Mac and PC. Included is a surface mount mute button to clip out your backtalk to Mom during those Sunday afternoon catch-me-up calls. At just under $22USD it’s a decent deal.

Here’s a quick lesson in the art of Kawai – first Kawai means “cute” in Japanese and the term is applied to little gadgets and trinkets one carries around. Case-in-point, Elecom of Japan introduces this Mogumo-Kun foam figure which embodies your MiniSD or MicroSD card for safe keeping. Yes, it’s cute and with a snap of the neck pop out your MiniSD card. Included is small tether to A) hang your Mogumo-Kan or B) strap her down to say, your cell phone, so that all important SD card doesn’t wonder too far.