Last year in the hot summer heat, during the peak of power usage for most of the US, OCIA.net reviewed the P3 Kill-A-Watt electricity meter. This nifty little device earned our Seal of Approval for its usefulness in monitoring exactly how much power our electronic devices consume. It's also handy for measuring current draw of various high-performance computer parts, and helps to raise awareness for how "green" we're being in conserving electricity.

However, manually plugging and unplugging devices or having to crawl under your desk to flip the switch on a power strip can become tedious or at the very least, inconvenient for most people, just to save a few bucks on our electric bill. Today I have two new products for review from a company named TrickleStar that address these issues. It's the PC TrickleSaver and accompanying accessory, the TrickleSwitch.


The TrickleSaver is similar in concept to a "smart" power strip, which aims to reduce electricity draw from "phantom loads", or the idle current that devices draw even when in standby or sleep mode. The PC variant of this device comes with a USB cable on/off control mechanism, to automatically switch on power when you turn on your computer, and cut the power when you shut down. The TrickleSwitch adds an inline, manual on/off switch to the cable, giving you greater control along with remote placement for more convenience.

Join me as I take a closer look at the TrickleSaver and TrickleSwitch electricity-saving devices.