I take a look around my work desk and often let out a long sigh. Surely in between the keys of my keyboard lies thousands of colonies of thriving bacteria and other unmentionable microbes which are invisible to the naked eye, but when put under the scrutiny of the USB Digital Microscope from ThinkGeek, the entire picture changes. Chances are I will probably have to turn in my current keyboard into the incinerator and pick a new one up, preferably a model with an anti-bacterial coating on. Like they say, ignorance is bliss - hence I’ll follow that good advice and save myself a fair amount of money in the process without killing off entire nations of unseen life on purpose.

The USB Digital Microscope is a simple plug and play device that hooks up to any available USB port on your computer. Once done, all you need to do is use the included software to magnify objects under its lens and view them on your computer. The USB Digital Microscope is capable of blowing up the specimen up to 200x, taking snapshots and time-lapse movies in the process. Of course, you can further enhance those photos with drawing and painting tools. The microscope can be detached from its stand to let you get closer to subjects that won’t fit under it normally.

Those who have a penchant for science education, forensics, printing, textile, printed circuit board (PCB) inspection, jewelers, and hobbyists ought to consider getting one of these. You get 20x, 50x, and 200x magnification on a single lens, while a quartet of white light LEDs illuminate the subject even more clearly. Still images are captured in 1024 x 768 resolution. The USB Digital Microscope retails for $179.99.

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