It charges via USB and can power most any mainstream gadget, from handheld gaming systems to phones, as well as anything with a microUSB port. It's got LED indicator lights, just in case you were really doing well with the ladies lately and want to put a stop to that. $35. [RedFerret]

The LaCie cables are more than just looks however. The flat design makes them easier to coil and less likely to get tangled (although it seems like it would be more difficult to twist them on a meandering path from one gadget to another). The only thing missing is a clasp that would allow it to double as a bracelet for tweens. Available in several USB configurations, Firewire and eSATA. [LaCie via Unplggd]

You see, in order to supply the full 900mA for each port you will need weigh yourself down with the optional AC adapter when out and about. Plus, the whole thing is so damned bulky in general that you are liable to break it sooner or later. At least StarTech is offering a lifetime warranty on it. Of course, with a product like this, StarTech probably won't be around long enough for you to get your $50 worth. [StarTech via EverythingUSB via Ubergizmo]

Not only that, the guy behind the hack claims it can be done in 30 minutes on a budget as small as $10. In a nutshell, he just inserted two apple mini usb plugs into the outlets and tucked them back in the wall, but you could soldier the wires to the chargers if you have the skills to go that route. Yeah, you could just keep the chargers plugged in to the regular outlet, which is even easier and seems like less of a fire code violation, but this certainly looks a whole lot better. [Instructables]

At Giz, we only endorse finger vein security (publicly, because privately we'd rely on nothing short of full colonoscopic verification). Sony's FVA-U1, going on sale December 18 in Japan, will be the smallest finger vein reader on the market conveniently operating over USB. [AkihabaraNews]

And something in this case cannot be "Kingston USB drive," which is what this is, and $1,000 is exactly what designer Will Rockwell is asking for it.

Note to steampunk aficionados and aspiring designers: When you hobble something together, call it steampunk and charge $1,000, whatever it is you're making better be powered by a steam engine and have the ability to fight battles on my behalf or fly like an airship. [Etsy via Born Rich]

Like the tauntaun sleeping bag, the USB Pet Rock is another case of an April Fools Day joke turning into a real product. This is the joke video from earlier in the year:

You can order your own USB Pet Rock for $10 at ThinkGeek. Just don't ask me to tell you what to do with it. I still try to feed Fido without success. [ThinkGeek via OhGizmo!]

The drives are available in 4, 8 and 16GB capacities for $30, $40 and $60, respectively. The head comes off and you plug the body into any USB port. The downside is that the bodies are decently sized, so if you have two USB ports adjacent to each other, you won't be able to use the other one.

Click through the gallery to see our impressions. [Tyme Machines]

Here's a lone Storm Trooper before he suffers a fate unimaginable for all but Storm Troopers. Decapitation.

With his head gone, his body is free to be plugged into any USB port.

Here's the view from behind.

Boba Fett and Vader are still in mint condition.

The set includes Yoda, but we only have the evil characters.

All three with their heads off.

Vader, engaged.

What would it look like if they switched helmets? This.

You can get a day pass of 75MB for $15, a week pass of 250MB for $30, and a month pass of 500MB for $50. The prices aren't absurd if you only use the thing occasionally, but those data caps are something awful. For example, just loading a website will get you to burn a couple megabytes, and a heavy email session with attachments will kill half the day's quota. Better to save this for emergencies at the rates AT&T is offering. [AT&T

Sure, you can use a network to do the same, but can you rest your feet over Wi-Fi? CAN YOU? That's what I thought. [Cabracega via LikeCool]

So yeah, if you've been chomping at the bit to get HD quality resolutions delivered to your monitor via a USB connection, this may be the adapter for you. Comes in a kind of periwinkle blue hue for $99. [Sewell via Engadget]

Brando calls it the USB Whirl Wind Warmer Cup and it's all too lovely. It keeps your beverage at a comfortable 40°C and stirs everything up at the push of a button. You can recharge the cup's batteries using either an AC outlet or a USB port, so there's no reason to be left without stirring power.

It's $37, and it may be my coffee cravings talking, but somehow that doesn't seem too bad considering how much all my lost spoons add up to. [Brando via Red Ferret]

Aside from automatically syncing content with a Mac or PC, you can share and watch movies, listen to music, or view photos directly through the Pogoplug website and even on an iPhone. Since we looked at the original version, Pogoplug has apparently made some upgrades to add a drag-and-drop interface and sharing over social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook. But as we mentioned back then, while this is a great interface and solution, you are going to be relying on the company staying in business in order to be able to share data.

That one downside or not, the Pogoplug still remains a far quicker solution that setting up a separate Windows Server or similar, so if you're not put off by the $30 price increase since the original, you can pre-order now.

Second Generation Pogoplug™ Unveiled Today
Next-generation Hardware Design and Software Provide Enhanced Storage, Multimedia and Social Media Capabilities

San Francisco, Calif. – November 20, 2009 – Cloud Engines, Inc. unveiled the second generation of the award winning Pogoplug multimedia sharing device today giving consumers more flexibility to store personal content safely in the home and access, manage, and share it from anywhere on the Internet. The new Pogoplug hardware sports a new design boasting multiple USB ports supporting up to 4 external drives for expanded data capacity. The new Pogoplug also gives users improved sharing capabilities, an easy drag-and-drop interface to create engaging multi-media slide shows, seamless media playback, and enhanced sharing with friends on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

Pogoplug acts like a gateway from your home or office through the Internet. It allows you to access, share and even stream your personal digital media directly to anybody, anywhere in the world. Your content always remains physically in your home or office, making it secure, convenient and available on your terms. Pogoplug is perfect for those individuals with increasingly mobile lifestyles and small businesses in need of simple, inexpensive mobile data access solutions.

"The reaction to the Pogoplug has been incredible. By listening to user feedback and following our own product roadmap, we are bringing a great second-generation product that gives our customers access to a host of new features that both improve the function of the Pogoplug, and add to the fun of using it as well." said Daniel Putterman, CEO of Cloud Engines, Inc. "We are committed to giving our customers the best way to access their data from anywhere in the world, pushing the envelope with both product quality and design aesthetic. The result is what you see here today."

NEW HARDWARE
The new Pogoplug design retains the simplicity and ease of use of the original while listening to consumer feedback and adding the ability to directly connect up to 4 external hard drives at once. The resulting product boasts an improved design with greatly improved functionality for users with multiple drives and an increasing need for easy synching and sharing of their digital libraries. This upgrade turns the Pogoplug into an even more prominent feature in the modern digital home or small business.

NEW FEATURES

Automatically Synchronize Photos, Videos, Music and Other Selected Content
Users can synchronize their Pogoplug with their PC or Mac to automatically import new content from popular applications such as iTunes, Windows Media Player, and iPhoto. This feature allows Pogoplug owners to "set it and forget it" and always have access to new photos, videos and music from anywhere on the Internet.

Drag-and-Drop Music and Photo Slideshows
Users can easily create and share fun and engaging slideshows using their stored photos, videos and music. Creating a slideshow with Pogoplug is as simple as drag and drop, and sharing these slideshows is just as easy as ever. Once a user's link is shared and viewed, their slideshow will immediately begin with the photos, videos and music they selected, playing seamlessly in the viewer's browser.

Easier Sharing with Pogoplug Address Book
Pogoplug Address Book greatly improves the speed and ease of use of sharing with a user's friends and family. Pogoplug automatically remembers all email addresses entered in a user's previous shares - even if that share no longer exists – and makes them available in an easy to use address book to make sharing truly one click away.

Global Search Across Multiple Drives and Pogoplugs
With support for multiple drives on a single Pogoplug (and multiple Pogoplugs on the same account) Pogoplug has added "global" search support across all of a user's Pogoplugs and drives. Search filters are now a distinct feature, allowing users to view all of their photos, videos and music in a single organized view, or to search for a specific file across all Pogoplugs and drives.

Organize Your Music, Photos and Videos
Pogoplug automatically displays music by Album, Artist and Genre, and shows cover art for quick access to a user's favorite music. Photos are now displayed by photo timeline and videos are only a click away, including the ability to watch a preview in the thumbnail itself.

Play movies directly from my.pogoplug.com, or even to the iPhone
Pogoplug now supports the playback of videos directly from a Pogoplug, with support for the most popular cameras, video cameras and mobile phones. Movies can be shared and viewed directly from the Pogoplug website – or even from an iPhone!

Pricing and Availability
We are currently taking Pre-Orders for Pogoplug at www.pogoplug.com Units will ship before the end of the year – just in time for the Holiday Season. The Pogoplug has a suggested retail price of $129, with no additional service fees.

[Pogoplug]

Imation argues that, by providing a one-to-one connection over the air, the Pro WX Wireless USB hard drive "limits the possibility of signal interception." That's a pretty vague claim to me. They also argue that it works like any other USB drive, although it only transfers data at 15 megabytes per second. That's not too fast compared to a Network Attached Storage drive over Wi-Fi.

And then, even while you don't have to connect it to the computer with a cable, you have to plug in a USB key. So why not just leave a regular drive on the desk, and plug the cable for a better transfer rate at a much cheaper price? And if you want wireless, why don't get a drive that is Wi-Fi enabled?

The only good argument for the Pro WX is simplicity: You don't need to connect to a server using the network, the drive just pops up in your desktop. But then again, connect to a networked drive is not that difficult. Certainly, not difficult enough to pay the $500 that this 1.5TB drive costs. [Press Release]

[ActiveMP via jkOnTheRun]

YouTube's Going 1080p So That You Can Watch Silly Videos In High-Def

Unsatisfied with simple 720p, YouTube is going to a full HD experience with 1080p. They're about halfway through the process of re-encoding the current content, so it shouldn't be long before you can watch Rupe Murdoch rant in high-def. [CNET]

Yet Another "Virus" Attacks Unsecured Jailbroken Phones

The number of ridiculous iPhone viruses, worms and hacks is gradually growing as the number of idiots who refuse to change the default root passwords when running SSH on their jailbroken iPhones remains the same. Secure your iPhones already. Please.[BGR]

USB AM/FM Tuner Made By Company Who Hasn't Heard Of Internet Radio

This USB AM/FM tuner is useless without a computer, but if you've got a computer in front of you odds are good that you also have an Internet connection through which you can access most radio stations. And while it's lovely that it allows you to record broadcast content, it would be a bit more handy if the gadget also had some flash memory on board. [OhGizmo!]

Pirates Decorate Their MacBooks With Crossbones

MacBook decals appear to be turning into a trend as even pirates are getting into the game. Arrr, yo-ho-ho matey, or something like that. [Crunchgear]