TypewriterFrom The Urbach Letter – September 2005

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Cool Thing of the Month

150 in 1 Travel Power Adapter

Kensington Universal Travel Plug Adapter
Travel overseas? Whether for business or pleasure, you're likely toting a bunch of electronics with you: cell phone, PDA, digital camera, laptop computer, iPod, et cetera. In the olden days, the only thing powered by electricity you'd throw in your bag was an electric shaver. Some of us have memories of what happened to a U.S. 110 volt shaver when plugged directly into a 220 volt overseas outlet. Zap! While it's true that some current 110v devices need that heavy, brick-like transformer to work, the majority are now 110v/220v auto-switching. No separate transformer required. (Look on the device to make sure).

However, there's still a problem: getting the plug to fit. Here in the U.S., every standard 110v outlet takes a plug with two vertical, parallel contact plugs. Elsewhere, there's a huge variety of socket shapes and configurations. While the most common configuration is two large pins, there are many other variations. Until now, your only way of dealing with this mess was to carry a bag of various adapters, hoping one will fit the outlet in your Elbonian hotel room (gratuitous Dilbert reference).

Enter the Kensington Universal Travel Plug Adapter. By sliding the side buttons, you'll create an adapter that'll work in over 150 countries. Compact and lightweight, it's easy to pack in with your electronic paraphernalia. Twenty bucks at Kensington or Amazon or Office Depot.

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