You can file this device under “wish I’d thought of it first“. Monster Cable, the company known for its high end (and high priced) audio cable has released their “Outlets To Go Power Strip“, a stripped down, light weight version of the “found under every desk” AC power outlet strip. This device is designed for travelers who run out of outlets in their hotel room or airport boarding lounge, but don’t want to lug around a full sized outlet strip.
I came across this device while listening to one of my favorite podcasts, The Daily Giz Whiz from TWIT.TV. They review an interesting new tech gadget almost every day.
Monster has managed to use half the plastic and half the cable and sell the device for twice the price of the original. They tout their FlatProfile Plug and FlatWrap Cord (both trademarked names) as making this device the perfect tote-along for power hungry road warriors. That there is a need for this device is unquestioned. The $29.95 price (about 4 times what you’d pay for a standard 6 outlet strip at Wal Mart), is another matter entirely.
Monster has done an amazing job of using their branding strategy to convince people that a wire isn’t just a wire. There has been an ongoing debate for years in the audiophile community about whether Monster Cables, particulary their speaker cables, improves sound quality. Regardless of how you might feel about that argument, the Outlets To Go strategy has nothing to do with wire quality or audio signal flow improvement. It does, however, give them the power to charge almost $30.00 for their better mousetrap.
I usually agree with the opinions voice at The Daily Giz Whiz, but I’m afraid they are willing to pay too much for not enough.
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