Garage Band

By Jeff Zbar
www.chiefhomeofficer.com

When I'm not working in my home office, I'm in a garage band. Like many bands today, we use our iPods, iPhones and MP3 players to queue up songs we want to cover. We take the player into the garage, plug it into the PA or boom box, and listen to the tunes.

We'll play tunes from the player over the PA before a gig or between sets to get or keep fans in the mood.

I went to play some tunes to the other day and my iPod's battery indicator was in the red.

I searched the house for a charger, but my kids had them all hidden away who knows where (I had iPod cables, but no transformer that plugs into the wall). And my laptop was packed away, so I couldn't charge the iPod through the PC's USB.

Which left me with exactly squat as far as charging options for my iPod. Except for one: My Belkin Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger ($24.99).

The portable device features three AC outlets and two powered USB outlets. These are perfect for MP3 players and mobile phones (but, Belkin warns, the USB outlets are not USB hubs – meaning they will not connect two USB devices or transmit any data).Read more