USB Desk Lamp and Speaker

This USB Desk Lamp doubles up as a speaker as well, with nine bright LED lights to help you read those fine print on your legal documents late into the night. You can choose to hook it up to your computer via USB, or leave it unplugged and let the internal rechargeable batteries get to work instead. 

The pair of speakers are located at the base of the device, but don't expect these to cause a commotion in your room when turned on - it is probably good only for use as a personal speaker minus the bass and all that jazz. The USB Desk Lamp and Speaker will retail for $22.50, coming in pink or green colors.

Apple wants your iPod to stop charging for thieves

Hey, it's no shocker that Apple's iPod is a coveted item even for those who acquire their wares in less than legal manners, but a recent patent application from Apple shows that someone at Cupertino cares about you rightful owners out there. Essentially, the technology would invoke a "guardian" recharge circuit, which would disable any further charging if the computer (or "other recharger") it was paired with was of the unauthorized variety. According to Apple, this type of limitation would "serve as a deterrent to theft," and while we can only assume that it would be applied first to the iPhone and iPod, the application does insinuate that other handheld, rechargeable devices could eventually benefit from the invention.

[Via Slashdot]