Why is it that Japan gets so many of the coolest gadgets long before we get them here in the states? While these compact USB chargers aren’t going to blow your mind, I certainly would like to get my hands on a few to throw into my travel bag…

If you’ve ever walked along a carpet in the wintertime, you know all about how you can generate electrical shocks without ever plugging in to an outlet. Now it looks like your body movements could be harnessed to provide electricity for your mobile electronics…

In a multi-iPod/iPhone household like mine, this device looks like it could be a godsend for tidying up the rats’ nest of cables on our kitchen countertop. Here’s a single charging dock that can recharge up to four iPods or iPhones simultaneously…

This gauge connects to your computer to reveal critical information about your PC’s current operating conditions. Rather than modern digital readouts, the Gigabyte Visual USB Gauge uses a good, old fashioned analog gauge to relay the current state of your computer’s power supply…

Ever find yourself running out of juice in your mobile gadget? Leave it to the wizards at Japan’s Thanko to come up with a new way to keep your devices charged long beyond their standard battery capacity.

The charger bracelet straps around your wrist and provides supplemental power to you portable gear when you’re on the road…

This unique MP3 player never needs batteries. That’s because it runs on your own hand-cranked power.

It may not be the prettiest media player ever made, but that’s because it needs room for the mechanical device that converts your energy into power. One minute of winding will give you about forty minutes of play time…

Do you have too many adapters plugged into in your power strip? This decidedly Flinstonian piece of office equipment eliminates the need for electricity by using hamster power.

As little hammy pedals his butt off, he generates his own shredded paper bedding…

This is one of those “why didn’t I think of that?” ideas… These little vinyl labels can be stuck on your power cords and other cables so you can easily identify what cable connects to what device…

This theft prevention device is sure to scare off even the most hardened criminal. The custom-built Tesla coil emits a massive purple electrical field around the owners car, making thieves think twice before even looking at this car…

Now that you’ve picked up your brightly colored new iPod Shuffle, maybe you’d like a way to keep it charged when you’re not near your computer.

The DLO Powerbug is a compact wall charger that connects to your iPod Shuffle and provides charging any place you have an outlet…

The Ecosol Powerstick is a universal device for quickly and easily recharging portable devices in a pinch.

Designed for on-the-go charging of PDAs, MP3 players, digital cameras, mobile phones and other mobile gadgets, the Powerstick hooks up to any USB port and stores a charge in an small lithium polymer battery for later use…

In case you’re planning on picking up Microsoft’s new Zune player for the holidays, you might want to check out some of these new accessories being offered by Belkin:

TuneBase FM Transmitter($79.99): Broadcast tunes to your car stereo; able to work in either portrait or landscape mode
TunePower ($59.99): Special case which includes a battery for up to 6 hours of extra playtime and a “kickstand” for hands-free video viewing
Acrylic Case ($29.99)
Folio Leather Kickstand Case ($29.99)
Microfiber Holster Case($29.99)
Neoprene Sports Armband Case ($29.99)
Sports Jacket Case with Armband ($19.99)
ClearScreen Overlay ($14.99)

All accessories should be released in North America by the end of November…

According to a post at GWN, Microsoft clearly does not sanction the use of the popular Nyko Intercooler on the Xbox 360.

The first Microsoft rep stated that the device simply drains too much power from the 360…