The Geek Shopper: USB Doorbell

One of the great things that has evolved as technology has advanced is the ability to customize a lot more things around us. We don’t have to put up with bland computer screens. We can put up wallpapers of hot babes, awesome posters, or impressive landscapes. Who has to tolerate with a boring telephone ring when you can have a wookie growl at you when you receive a text message on your cell phone? So if you can customize all of those things, why should your doorbell be any different? Well, now it doesn’t have to be.

Thinkgeek.com is selling a device that takes the doldrums out of your doorbell. It’s a USB Doorbell, although the name is a bit misleading. Really it’s a normal doorbell unit (wired even, none of that wireless nonsense here) that you can connect to your computer via USB to upload a thirty second wav or mp3 file. Voila! Gone is the boring doorbell tone of the past and instead you have yours truly saying “Hey Everybody” when the pizza guy comes. Or, as the guy in the demo video, you can be the ultimate geek and have John Williams’ “Imperial March” as your doorbell sound. Your imagination and bank of soundbytes is the limit.

Now, I have to admit I don’t actually own the USB Doorbell, at least not yet. The $99 purchase price isn’t that bad compared to other doorbells, but I’m having problems convincing my wife that this would be useful for our home. If you have one of these or pick this up, let me know how it works for you – and be sure to include what your custom doorbell sound is!

Take a look at the demo video:



The USB Doorbell is available at Thinkgeek.com.