Gadget Lust: A Keypad for Gmail

Remember a few months ago when I showed you the OpenOfficeMouse, an 18-button monstrosity designed expressly for Open Office? Well, there's apparently no shortage of companies willing to create single-purpose gadgets that you'll decide is either genius or insane. Next up: a numeric keypad-like device with keys just for Gmail.

The Gboard is a USB keypad that sits off to the side of your main keyboard and lets you control Gmail via its 19 color coded keys. There are keys for all the sorts of things that you typically do in Gmail but (presumably) can't remember the keyboard shortcuts for. There are keys for scrolling through threads in the Inbox, selecting items, replying, starri8ng, archiving... you know, pretty much everything you'd want to do in Gmail.

I thought I was going to hate the Gboard, but actually, I think it's kind of cool. And it's only $20. The only problem? Gmail isn't my full-time e-mail client -- I mainly use Outlook, and use Gmail perhaps a third of the time. And so I can't justify the desk space for a gadget that will only get used a third of the time. But what about you full-time Gmail users? Is this a winner, or a dud?