Surge protection, circa 2006.
Over the years, there hasn't been a whole lot of innovation in power strips. For the most part, surge-protector designers have subscribed to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" school of thought, in spite of technological leaps seen in the electronic gadgetry that rely on power strips for sweet, surge-free power.
When future generations map the evolution of the power strip--which will no doubt someday be regarded as a noble pursuits--2007 to 2008 will be notable as a period of great activity. We're seeing new features and shapes, and a complete rethinking of the functionality of the strip. In most cases, innovation is occurring in baby steps, as is the case with Belkin's new USB-friendly strip. The company didn't reinvent the strip, but it's hard to deny the usefulness of a built-in gadget charger. On the other end of the spectrum is Flexity's PowerSquid, a fitting name from a surge protector that appears to have wandered up from the ocean's depths like a wayward coelacanth.
After the jump are examples of the devices that are shaking up the once-stodgy world of surge protection.
Beamingsun USB Ecostrip: This earth-friendly power strip has made a big splash in Europe, thanks to its built-in energy-saving functions: When you turn off your computer, the rest of the peripherals plugged into the unit shut off as well. We wouldn't recommend the Ecostrip for overnight gadget charging, but do your printer and speakers really need to be plugged in when you're away from your desk?
Belkin Clamp-On Surge Protector: Trying to keep that mess of wires out of tripping range? This strip keeps your cords off the ground by clamping onto the side of your desk. The unit also features an extra long 10-foot cord, to make sure you can get it off the ground.
Belkin Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger: Another clever innovation from Belkin, this travel surge protector boasts two built-in USB ports, so you don't have to worry about bringing all those extra chargers the next time you're on the road.
Eject Powerstrip: While this strip is only in the concept stages, it was just too good to pass up. Mansour Ourasanah designed the polypropelene-based Eject Powerstrip (for Core77's 2008 Greener Gadgets design competition) to cut down on vampiric power consumption by making plugs easily ejectable: You just press down on a pedal.
E-rope Modular Power Strip: Another cool concept strip designed to reduce power consumption, the E-rope can be morphed into a number of configurations. Twist it 90-degrees, and it will shut off the flow of power to your devices.
Eubiq Power Track: The Power Track is designed for spaces that get heavily trafficked by devices from different nations. The wall-mounted track features several knobs that accept proprietary adapters with a quick twist, so you can just pop on a different plate when you need a different voltage outlet.
ezSpace UFO: When Carol reviewed this unit for Gearlog, she couldn't help but flash back to "Plan 9 From Outer Space." This saucer-shaped strip boasts a conservative footprint for those looking to save precious office space and a on/off switch on the bottom, well out of the way of those who tend to accidentally flip their power strip's switch off with their foot.
PowerSquid: We were all enamored of the PowerSquid when it first debuted in the blogosphere. This six-outlet surge protector tosses the strip model out the window by offer tentacled outlet input.
POWRAMID: The POWRAMID looks a lot like the ezSpace UFO, only with a slightly more classical influence and an on/off switch located directly atop the unit; it's protected from accidental switching off or on by a layer of plastic.
Tributaries T12 Power Strip: Are the 10 ports on your standard power strip not enough for you? Tributaries' strip offers 12, which rotate 90 degrees so those bulky plugs are less likely to butt into one another. The unit also features Ethernet and coaxial protection, in case you weren't sold already.
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March 20, 2008 3:35 AM
I think really cool power strip is created by russian designe Art Lebedev (author of Optimus Maximus keyboard with led displays on keys) called Rozetkus :
http://www.artlebedev.ru/everything/rozetkus/
March 20, 2008 12:18 PM
They look great. When will they be available in the good old USA.
March 20, 2008 3:05 PM
Some interesting concepts there, but none addresses my need of having separate on/off switches for say a six outlet strip. I'd like to be able to turn off individual components from that central location. I've not been able to locate one that performs this function, it's generally been an all or nothing proposition.
March 20, 2008 10:43 PM
Hey Bob, did you miss the one that said you could turn each output off by twisting it 90deg, the E-rope? It apparently only work in series, so you'll have to consider that when you plug in.
March 21, 2008 11:25 AM
Bob, Some of the APC brand power strips include a few 'always on' outlets. This allows me to turn the power strip off, but my desk lamp for instance can still function if plugged into an 'always on' slot.
http://www.apcc.com/products/category.cfm?id=12
March 21, 2008 11:35 AM
The real problem with power distribution is the mushrooming of rat-tails, which suck power even when they aren't doing anything useful. What's needed is some kind of single converter that feeds a variety of DC power needs, taking up less room and not sucking power unless it's needed. Isn't that technically possible? Is it "politically" possible to get vendors to cooperate?
March 21, 2008 4:35 PM
My personal favorite solution is a cheap, 4-foot long, 12-outlet 'dumb' strip from Fry's which I plug into my APC Back-UPS XS 1500 UPS. This strip is mounted to the wall behind the desk and services the cable modem, wireless router, display 1, display 2, ext HD 1, ext HD 2, wireless keyboard/mouse, cell phone, garmin, printer 2, joystick, and speaker set. The PC goes directly to the UPS and printer 1 goes to the wall. Talk about a rat's nest. Forget spending money on fancy plug strips; put your money into a good UPS and filtering.
March 21, 2008 8:21 PM
In SE Asia (e.g. Philippines / Thailand) you can readily buy a powerstrip where the receptacles on the strip will accomodate virtually *ANY* current world plug...including ones HK, Singapore and the ones from Taiwan with the blades set at 45 degrees (not parallel like in US). WITHOUT any special adapters.
We need to make these recepticales a world wide standard...or at least available world wide.
March 23, 2008 8:42 PM
Bob - back in the day Curtis made a power center that sat between the monitor and the CPU, had a master switch and 6 individual switches - that sounds like what you want.
And Bart - it's been my experience that you need some sort of powerstrip to plug into the UPS - but then you already know that, that why you have that 4' long APC
March 28, 2008 2:20 PM
The USB Ecostrip is one of those "why didn't I think of that" type of products. Very simple and straight-forward and a very good idea for implementation at my real-estate office. Over 50 agents with workstations and they aren't even in the office 75% of the time. What an easy way to save especially with electric rates skyrocketing!
April 2, 2008 11:26 AM
Least we all forget, strips are to protect us from drawing to many amps from the original circuit . How about demanding more wall connections from designers of buildings in the first place. Remember 31% of all Fires start from faulty electrical sources. ( according to the NFPA )
Fact- 99.9% of all wall plugs are installed wrong. According to the National Electrical Code The grounding prong belongs on the top. Reason, if a stray wire falls across a plug not properly inserted. The wire will ground itself and short the circuit no longer providing a hazard. If you don't believe me check out a Hospitals outlets.