Hotel rooms and old tiny apartments never seem to have enough electrical outlets for today's gadget-driven world, but there are alternatives to the big clunky power strip. One is Belkin's new Mini Surge Protector With U.S.B. Charger, which makes three outlets out of one and is small enough to fit in a laptop bag. Two powered U.S.B. ports are on the end of the mini-strip, to juice up certain mobile phones, BlackBerry devices and MP3 players that charge over a U.S.B. cable. A mini-U.S.B. power cable is included in the package. The U.S.B. ports transmit power only, though, so the strip does not work as a U.S.B. hub. The Mini Surge Protector, which will sell for about $25 when it becomes available next month, can be found under the Power link at catalog.belkin.com. Each outlet on the strip protects devices from electrical surges, and Belkin provides a $75,000 warranty for connected equipment — which can bring a little peace of mind in those old hotel rooms and tiny apartments. __
