Kill yellow teeth with USB microscope?
Japanese gadget maker Thanko launches a USB dental microscope that provides extreme closeups of your molars or wherever else the sun don't shine.
Japanese uber-gadget maker Thanko continues its drive to turn the entire universe into a USB gadget after giving us our last fix with its e-cigarettes.
The retailer, based in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics mecca, has launched a USB dental microscope that can turn your teeth into glorious 640×480 images or 1280×1024 video.
The 12-inch wand-shaped device has 6 LED lights and a 1/4 inch CMOS camera with 40x magnification. A shutter-release button is built into the underside. The device connects to a Windows XP or Vista PC with USB 1.1 or 2.0 and is available in Japan for about $80.
For the follicularly challenged, Thanko says the scope is handy not only for "checking cavities and tartar, but skin and hair as well." Many Japanese hair products aimed at men claim to help with thin, flaccid hair.
You can get imaginative with the scope since the USB cable is more than 6 feet long. And for that special someone, it's available in a choice of three gift wrappings.
The dental microscope isn't available on Thanko's English Web site yet, but another scope is. The USB Versatile Microscope ($151) has more LED lights buts is less ergonomically designed. It's ideal for those keen on viewing their inner ears and other nooks and crannies.