I ’ve long advocate that road warrior tamp a multi - outlet power overseas telegram or strip in their travel bag ; too few hotel and airport terminal provide more than a single outlet for invitee to use , which lead to frequent swapping of the mightiness adapters for your laptop computer , your roving speech sound , and any other gadgets you happen to bring along . In the past tense , I ’ve been partial to Monster ’s $ 20Outlets To Go Power Strip , a well - designed and relatively compact king cable length with four ground outlets . ( For those on a budget , Ikea on a regular basis sells a three - outlet , non - grounded might cable for under $ 10 . )
I ’ve also advocated replace traditional power adapters for phones , iPods , and the like with USB file cable ; rather of lug around a separate courser for each machine , you could plug those devices into your laptop computer ’s USB port(s ) or a exclusive USB charger that works for all your gadget . ( Griffin Technology ’s $ 25PowerBlock Dual , derive soon , even provides two USB - charging ports . )
Given those travel tips , you could realize why , back in early February , I was mad to get a glance of Belkin ’s new $ 25Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger(MSP for inadequate ) . Dan Moren advert the MSP in last workweek ’s Gadgetbox chromatography column , but I ’ve since had the opportunity to apply one of the first MSP ’s off the assembly line ; here are a few more details , as well as my first impressions .
The MSP is basically three devices in one . First , it ’s a three - outlet power strip : secure it into any touchstone , three - prong wall outlet and it provides three grounded AC wall socket . The MSP ’s plug rotate 360 degrees , locking every 90 degrees — a nice touch that lets it match in most outlets regardless of orientation or neighboring big businessman cable and blocks . Rated to 15 ampere , it should be able to handle all of your portable gear .
Second , the MSP put up two USB - mightiness ports , each providing 5V/500mA to machine-accessible devices ; I ’ve used them to successfully charge a variety of devices : iPod , an iPhone , a portable battery pack , and a mobile phone . ( mention that these USB port are big businessman - only ; they do n’t substantiate data . )
in conclusion , unlike most of the summary power comic strip I ’ve learn , the MSP is also a surge defender ; both the standard AC outlets and the USB ports are protected . Belkin claims the MSP has a 918 - Joule rating and can handle a spike current of 36,000A ; the society even provides a $ 75,000 Connected Equipment Warranty . ( This intend Belkin “ will repair or put back any equipment damaged by a surge , spike heel , or lightning strike while by rights connect to our spate shielder . ” )
The MSP comes with a major power - only USB to Mini - USB cable for saddle devices that have a Mini - USB larboard .
The MSP worked well in my testing . One thing to note is that it ’s actually a bit big than it appear in photos : just under 5 inch wide , 1.1 inches grandiloquent , and 2 inch deep — not including the profundity of the wall plug , which adds another 1.25 column inch at that end . ( I originally retrieve the plug folded up into the body of the MSP ; it does n’t . ) These attribute mean that the MSP looks and feels a routine bulky . On the other hired man , it weighs just under 7 ounce , and it takes up less elbow room in my travel bag than the products it replaces : a multi - outlet power strip and a USB courser . With surge auspices , to boot , I think the MSP ’s size is a more - than - fair trade-off . And the $ 25 Leontyne Price tag is exchangeable to what other vendors are charge for a power strip or USB charger alone . Assuming the Mini Surge Protector maintain up over the tenacious draw , it ’s taken a spot on my list of recommend travelling gear .
