Energy saving USB controlled 4-way power strip announced

A new power strip called PowerUSB will be headed to the US in August, enabling users to automate the powering on-and-off of connected devices from the mains; thereby saving electricity.

As well as housing four universal plug sockets, the PowerUSB also has a USB cable to connect to your computer, which allows the user to cut mains power to connected peripherals with the click of a button by using the software provided.

The company says that the power strip can be used to effectively automate lights and appliances in a home, commercial or industrial environment by using the timer feature to control power to the connected devices.

The power strip also has printer-specific features that include automatically switching a printer on only when it is needed or any application requests printing, thereby allowing it to remain in a powered-down state when not in use.

The hub contains four universal sockets, meaning that it will accept plugs worldwide, and each socket has its own individual fuse. However, only two of the sockets are USB controlled, the other two are constantly turned on.

The company also says that it will be making the software API and dynamic-link library (DLL) available to allow integration with other apps and products in the future.

PowerUSB says that the reduction in electricity usage –and therefore costs– mean that device "pays for itself within a year", but has not yet released pricing details ahead of the scheduled August launch in the US.

ZDNet UK did ask whether the hub would be headed to the UK but had not received comment at the time of writing.