Newegg has it for $34.99 – $10 mail-in rebate + Free Shipping = $24.99!

Rebate can be found here.

From the Quirky Community, comes the Switch Modular Multi-Tool.  Capable of interchanging 18 different tool pieces from pliers to an LED flashlight, the modern design of Switch lends itself to the customization that Americans have grown to know and love.  You can pre-order one now for $68 nd be sure to check out the read link below for further briefing.

Read

I never charge my iPhone through my Mac.  It always opens up iPhoto when I don’t want to and I also don’t need to sync with iTunes all the time.  A new USB adapter has surfaced allowing you to choose whether or not you want to sync your phone or simply just charge it for a few minutes.  Awesome idea.

On sale for $13, the Sync Blocker could come in handy if you’re about to run out the door and you don’t have time to deal with all those unwanted applications opening all over your computer.  Other variations are also available.

Read

Rebate info here

Nowadays, saving energy is quickly becoming common sense as opposed to forward thinking.  More and more tech consumers are aware of vampire power and and there are plenty of products out there to combat this unnecessary use of energy.

Having recently been introduced to the TrickleStar products, I have found them to be easy to use as well as being relatively easy on the wallet.  What I can say right away is that you are not going to see a noticeable difference in your electric bill.  Not unless you are using a ton of them.  You’d really have to have your whole residence outfitted in order to see your bill go down.

Now that’s not to say that every little bit doesn’t count for something.  I’m sure it does work to prevent vampire power, you just have to have faith and believe in the product.  To help with that faith, the TrickleStar PC Energy Saver and Switch look very consumer friendly using a brilliant white glossy plastic and an attractive logo.

To explain what the TrickleStar PC Energy Saver and switch does is quite basic.  It limits the amount of stand-by power your computer and peripherals draw from the wall outlet when not in use.  When you power down or put to sleep your Mac or PC, the energy saver is activated.  Without the switch, the energy saver is automatically set into use upon shut-down, whereas you have manual control when you have the switch integrated with in the set-up.  I really have no idea why this wasn’t one product, but I’ll save that for gripe time.

The set-up process is really easy as well.  All you do is plug the energy saver into the wall and then plug the power strip containing your PC/Mac and all its peripherals (Scanner, Printer, USB Hubs) into the female end.  From there you plug the USB end into any port that reaches your computer.  The switch is the middle man between you computer and the energy saver and uses female and male USB plugs to make that connections.  Super easy.

I have a MacBook laptop so I am often using my computer away from my hard drives, USB hubs, and iPhone dock.  The TrickleStar PC Energy Saver and Switch worked perfect for this.  All I had to do was flip the switch and my whole surge protector  and hard drives were shut down.  The switch itself denotes power through a bright green LED.  For more permanent set-ups, the Energy Save plug is mountable and the Switch has a peel adhesive.

Simple as that, my only problem with these products is that they are not one product.  There’s really no need for this and it is much more practical to power your gear down manually, especially when using several chained hard drives.

Beyond that, the TrickleStar products work as advertised and will cost under $30 for the pair.  If you are looking for a way to assure yourself that your computer set-up is not wasting energy I strongly suggest you give these products a try.

Pros:

• Easy Set-Up
• Attractive Aesthetic
• Saves Energy

Cons:

• Products should be combined as one package
• No real way to prove it works without the help of MythBusters

Buy the TrickleStar PC Energy Saver Plug Here For $17!

Buy the Trickle Star PC Switch Here For $10!

Features:

• 8 port switch
• Rack mountable

Don’t forget Newegg’s $12 coupon: EMCAKCDBB (Expires: 9/29)

Features:

• 8 RJ45 Ethernet ports
• Up to 1GB of throughput

Buy it: TRENDnet 8-Port 10/100/1000Mbps Copper Gigabit Switch – $28

Don’t forget Newegg’s Free Shipping coupon: EMCAJCCCB

Features:

• 8 ports at up to 1Gbps
• 1MB buffer and 1 year warranty

Buy it: Netgear GS608 8 Port Ethernet Switch – $35

Features:

• 8 port switch at up to 100Mbps
• LED indicator lights and slim design

Buy it: D-Link DES-1108 8-Port 10/100 Desktop Switch – $13

Update: I read the T&Cs for the rebate and apparently Netgear DOESN’T require the UPC label, just a copy (wink).

Features:

• 24-port switch with 2 Gigabit ports
• Web-based configuration

Buy it: Netgear FS726TNA Switch And A Free iPod Nano – $157

Just add $7 to your cart to get Free Shipping

Features:

• 10/100 dual-speed per port auto sensing
• Ideal for small and medium sized businesses to distribute your bandwidth

Buy it: Linksys EZXS55W EtherFast 10/100 5-Port Workgroup Switch – $9