Monster? I don't think so. Kind of strange to advert a rather overpriced 2-outlet power strip from a company that sues everyone under the sun.

I agree with #1. Monster is a litigation-happy over-marketed snake oil salesman for the 21st century.

Belkin has a portable power surge protector with 3 outlets and 2 USB charging slots.

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=400738

I have this power strip and it lives in my briefcase whenever I travel. It's a lifesaver to have with me and has saved me many times when there were no outlets available. It's a rather elegant design in that it is so compact and has the plug wrap around.

Obviously there may be issues with their brand (I wouldn't buy their audio cables), but it doesn't exclude it from being a cool tool (It also looks to be cheaper than the Belkin-branded multiplier mentioned by #2).

Chill guys, the idea is good and the implementation looks solid.

I agree, I refuse to give Monster any of my money, but that is my personal choice. I still hadn't thought of a strip like this and it would be super useful to me so now I have a good idea of something to look for.

Eric, thanks for the Belkin option. I think the addition of a USB port or two is brilliant because that eliminates the need for some of your other chargers. That said I am not sure about the Belkin form factor. It is a bit square and looks a mite bulky. I will have to go look at that one in person to make sure it doesn't take up too much room.

@ #1 & 2: Yup. This Cool Tool is probably a perfectly good re-branded device designed and built by someone else, but why reward Monster for their dreadful behavior?

Company and device merits aside (though the Belkin does suit me better)- I was just impressed by the identity of the submitter...

Buy USB charging cables for all of your gear then plug in your laptop to the wall outlet and plug everything else into your laptop. USB charging cables take up a lot less room than AC adapters for every gadget.

This is what I did, replaces the plug at the end of my laptop power cord with an adapter. orks very well and uses up much less space than an extension cord.

- Steve

@ Matt: That's the MSRP. The Belkin is actually cheaper by a couple of bucks through Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Mini-Surge-Mount-Charger/dp/B0016IXEWG/

Sorry, commenting function stripped out the link

www.ntwiga.net/linked_to_images/PowerCable.jpg

- Steve

i've been using a short extension cord from the dollar store to accomplish this for years, both when traveling and for my car's power inverter. cut off the spacer at the top to allow me to plug in three prong devices (which i can ground separately with a piece of primary wire if it's really necessary).

Boing Boing gadgets gave this a thumbs up review a couple months ago also.

According to their review, you can apparerntly pick this up at Radio Shack for under $8:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2416820&CAWELAID=107590808

I bought this one rather than the Belkin because sometimes you need "the cord" in order to access the outlet. Think Starbucks, with a narrow access strip running down the middle of the "desks" in some stores. Anyone who has used the Apple power "brick" without it's cord extension knows of what I speak!

Thanks, Kurt, for the RadioShack heads-up. I'm going to pick up a second one (the online store is out -of-stock but supposedly my local store has one).

I don't know anything about Monster's litigation practices, but this power strip sits in a pocket of my backpack and it's a lifesaver.

Posters 1&2, you can't see it from the picture, but this is a 4-outlet strip, not two; there are two outlets on the backside. It's extremely sturdy.

I can't remember what I paid for it, but it was a bargain.

@ Kurt: Thanks for the tip. Quite a price difference. We've changed the link following the review to reflect the better deal at Radio Shack though, as Kathy pointed out, they're out of stock at the moment.

The other thing that makes this more useful than the Belkin adapter is that the plug spacing accomodates the bulky wall-wart transformers that so many device power supplies use.

Monster actually makes these in several models - there are versions with 3, 4, or 6 AC outlets, as well as one that has 3 AC outlets and a USB power port.

They also have a blue LED indicator in the plug, which tells you if the outlet you're plugging into has power - which can be a lifesaver in hotel rooms with switched outlets.

I picked one of these up at Circuit City while it was going out of business. I was astonished that this was cheaper than other similar strips. I didn't need a "travel" strip, nor the light (which is a nice bonus since I've got my VCR and converter box plugged into it behind the TV), but the price is right and the construction is solid. I generally avoid Monster-branded items due to their obscene prices for debatable increase in quality, but I've been very happy with this product and it is fairly cheap for a Monster.

I carry a 1 to 3 outlet converter in my backpack that I bought for a couple of bucks at a hardware store. It has no surge protection, but since most of the things I plug into it have transformers in their plugs, I figure I'm safe.

But here's the important meme. I use it at airports, so that I can share outlets with power-needy strangers. I convert one outlet to three. It works a treat and helps my fellow human beings. Go thou and do likewise with whatever power strip/converter you travel with.

Thus endeth the lesson.

Does anyone have an idea on + surge protection + foreign plug adapters + converter?

The Monster MP OTG400 BK Outlets To Go Power Strip has 4 outlets and is very sleek, but it is only a power strip.

I'm thinking there must be a lightweight super-cool gadget-gizmo that is a slick solution for overseas. Any ideas?

Suggestion to the new guy:
How about a check box with an option to
"Receive e-mail when new posts are made".

That would be very 2009. :)

btw, I also agree with the person above that using USB charging cables to charge devices from a laptop is the preferred way to go.