by David Stone, Technician
Do you find yourself looking high and low for an outlet, a cord or a charger for one of your many electronic devices?
Today’s world finds most people switching back and forth between a mobile device, car infotainment system, workplace computers, home computers and multimedia devices.
It would be wonderful if all of these electronics used the same power adapter and charge time. Unfortunately for you, the consumer, it does not work that way.
Most electronic manufacturers have their own proprietary cords, batteries and charger adapters. You can blame costly patents, industry rivalries, or just the desire to be different as the culprit behind all these seemingly trivial decisions.
Regardless of the reasons, knowing how much power each device draws or requires for charging quickly will empower you as well as save you some money on your electric bill.
Belkin has created the Conserve Insight to provide you with the data needed to monitor the watts you’re using, how your carbon footprint is affected and how much money you’re giving to the power company.
Setting up the Insight is pretty simple and straight forward. Simply plug the Insight into your outlet, then plug in your device and start to monitor your device power usage.
Hit the $ button, and it will switch back between how many watts your currently using as well as how much it will cost you on a monthly basis.
It will even keep track of the carbon dioxide produced in order to power that device.
Another cool feature is the averaging mode option that activates after 45 minutes and projects the carbon dioxide and dollar amount cost for the entire year.
This does not work in watt display mode that only shows you real time usage updates.
The five foot cord that connects the display unit to the outlet adapter is a great improvement over similar products, as you no longer have to crawl around under desks and tables in order to see the read-out.
A bit of form-factor goes the extra mile and makes the Insight look stylish and at home on your desk or workspace.
The best feature by far is the conserve option that allows you to set a time limit for how long the device will draw power.
There’s a switch on the side that allows you to choose from one of three time increments, 30 minutes, 3 hours or 6 hours are your only choices, but most devices today will never take more than six hours to charge.
The Insight will power itself off after the time has elapsed, saving you the hassle of unplugging each device after they’re fully charged.
Belkin has taken the steps to innovate a product that has plenty of market share, and will most likely win over consumers for its ease of use and reliability.
Using technology to better manage your high tech devices and power usage, plus you can use it to manage your Christmas lights!
(Image Source: iCLIPART)