Brando is known for quirky and offbeat gadgets, but they deliver their fair share of useful devices as well. Case in point, this ballpoint pen that can also be used as an emergency cellphone charger. According to the description, it averages a 100 minute charge time, 20 hour standby time and 2 hours of talk time on one AA battery. It also features five connectors (Sony Ericsson Fast Port, Nokia 2.5mm, 3.5mm, mini USB and Samsung). It makes sense because many of us already carry around a pen, and it's not a bad deal at $18. [Brando]

The Gadget: Microsoft's SideWinder X6, their first ever bona fide SideWinder gaming keyboard, designed especially for Sith Lords with red adjustable backlighting, a pisston of macros and a hot swappable number/macro keypad.

The Price: $80

The Verdict: A really fabulous effort.

Since coming back from the dead, Microsoft's SideWinder has been making some bold, unique design choices with its gaming hardware—and we're not just talking about the obvious Darth Vader overtones that we seriously dig—they've been toying with conventional ergonomic designs and layouts. I love that they're trying to do something genuinely new—the switchable keypad in the X6, the steel vertical thumb buttons on the first (new) Sidewinder mouse.

The problem is that some of the conventions they buck impact usability occasionally—the vertical thumb buttons on the Sidewinder mice, for instance, is a cramped, inferior setup to the standard horizontal layout. The X6 has a couple of similar issues—the space bar is longer than on most keyboards, running from the tip of the X key all the way to the question mark, so when reaching for right Alt, I'd smack the space bar eight times out of 10, even after a week with the keyboard.

The other major issue, versus other gaming keyboards, is that it doesn't have built-in USB or audio ports, like ones from Razer, SteelSeries or Logitech (though it doesn't have audio), for easy swapping of mice, headsets or other peripherals.

I still like this keyboard a lot—the punchiness of the keys is perfect, and has a very Logitech-y feel to it, actually. Dial controls for volume and backlighting are vastly superior to stupid buttons, and add to the "this fully armed and operational battle station" vibe. The removable keyboard is held in place with surprising strength by the magnets, so you won't worry about it coming apart in the middle of a frantic fragfest. And macros, macros, macros—there are lots of them, although I'm more of an FPS gamer, so they're less important to me—thought that might change when Starcraft 2 hits.

Eighty bucks puts it at the same price as Logitech's G15 and Razer's Lycosa (to which it's the most similar in style/build quality), but it's not better than either of those. Spring for this one if you're trying to complete your SideWinder set, need a ridiculous number of macros, or having a detachable keypad would be the bee's knees for you. Since this is only their first effort, I am pretty excited to see what they do next with the feedback on the X6. [Microsoft]

Designed by artist Francesca Lanzavecchia, NightMates are "soft anthropomorphic pillows and warming lamps" that are supposed to keep you company (and comfy) at night. They come in different sizes, depending on how much anthropomorphic love you need, but you might wanna stick with the smaller ones that are more like Glo-Worms—the full sized ones are more than a little creepy, like something that slithered off the cover of one of my roommate's NSFW manga collection to do wrong things to you while you sleep. [LightMate via BB via popgadget]

People keep finding photos in their new iPhones, and these keep getting weirder and weirder. This time, Giz reader Bryan Offenhauer claims that he found this funny shot of an anonymous guy next to a human-sized Gundam mecha:

I just upgraded to the iPhone 3G 16gb and found this handsome gentlemen had beat me to the punch on using my new phone's camera. It doesn't look like this picture was taken while at any sort of factory, but he looks mighty proud of his giant Gundam. Anyway I was just wondering if there are other people that have gotten phones with odd pictures already stored on them.

I can understand the factory tests, but this? Is Apple's attention to detail slipping at the factory level? Did they take the iPhone away from the assembly line, take the photo, and then return it? Maybe the workers are Foxcon are trying to mess up with our minds? Maybe Bryan is? Are Gundam-Men marriages allowed in China? Is this guy single? We demand answers. [Thanks Bryan]

DARPA is investing in developing a new kind of helicopter, one with what they're calling a Disc-Rotor. What makes a Disc-Rotor Helicopter different than a boring old helicopter? Well, when the blades start spinning fast, they're retracted into a disc. This disc continues to rotate, and it acts as a "rotating circular wing." The benefit of such a system would be to provide " mobility and responsiveness for troop and cargo insertion, satisfy an ongoing military interest for higher speed VTOL and hover capable vehicles, be survivable and bridge the gap in helicopter escort and insertion missions." Ho-Kay! I don't get it, but it sure will be neat looking, so I guess I'm on board. [The Register]

At $6,000, this OSIM uSpace full body massage chair better do what it says in addition to just looking all sci-fi and space Pac-Manish. According to the manufacturer, the chair fixes you using mood lighting, massage, and music. They say the uSpace has three different modes: "revitalize", "relax" or "balance" you.

They explain that using specific lighting colors, with something called "synchronized" music will activate certain areas of your brain, putting you in any of those states. I don't know if it works or not, but the idea of putting my head inside the mouth of space Pac-Man here only makes me anxious. [OSIM via Dvice]

These pixel drink coasters are made of paper and come in 50-unit packages for $8. Nothing special there until you notice that they have different shapes, which are not actually made at the factory: The coasters come in a single sheet, folded in 50 segments that you can cut in any way you want using the one-centimeter-long square perforations that divide each segment in 110 pixels. The results are beautiful, including an obligatory Space Invaders theme.

According to Technabob, the paper is special, which allows to resist the condensation and even get reused. [25togo via Technabob]

The professional bullshit artists and dumbass fleecers over at Monster have devised another way to remove money from the wallets of the ignorant: cleaning sprays.

They've released five different sprays for five different types of devices: a camera spray, a cell phone spray, an iPhone spray (Buchanan posits that this one is made of pure angel tears), a GPS spray and a laptop spray. Yes, Monster wants you to think that your GPS and your cellphone need separate sprays, lest your phone is destroyed by the magical chemicals that can only clean a surface that displays driving directions. While yes, perhaps laptop screens need a different spray than the glass iPhone, this is a bit beyond overkill.

Each bottle of these precious fluids cost $10, which is a pretty sizable markup seeing that they just took a bunch of Windex, watered it down and put it into tiny bottles with different colored labels on it. [CrunchGear]

Scuba Steve, 7" figurine, seems like a nice enough guy. His round face and charming monocle seem perfect for children's parties and lending an extra hand in bathroom sterilization. But then you read his description and see that "if a shark won’t listen to reason, then Scuba Steve pulls their teeth out (but still lets the shark live.)" And you realize, yeah, that Scuba Steve really is a great guy. $350. [Slobot via Gizmo Watch]

Confession: I actually very much enjoyed the new Bill Gates/Jerry Seinfeld Microsoft ad. Yes, I found it funny and entertaining—the moment when Gates grins like a conspiratorial child revealing that his budget shoes were actual "leather" cracked me up. No, there wasn't much any substance, but who cares? If nothing else, it's positive branding and a fun way to kill commercial time otherwise filled with ads for new citrus-scented patio cleaners.

Anyway, an internal Microsoft memo explaining the ads to employees confirms what most of us suspected as Seinfeld compared PCs to some sort of chocolaty dessert—the first commercial was just an "icebreaker."

This first set of ads features Bill Gates and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Think of these ads as an icebreaker to reintroduce Microsoft to viewers in a consumer context. Later this month, as the campaign moves into its next phase, we’ll go much deeper in telling the Windows story and celebrating what it can do for consumers at work, at play and on-the-go. At that time, I’ll be back to share more information about our plans to further strengthen the bond between consumers and Windows–one of the most amazing products, businesses and brands of all time, and, with the right tenacity, passion and agility from all of us, a story that has many great chapters to come.

For the full memo, head on over to the link. [All Things Digital]