PowerUSB (http://www.pwrusb.com) has launched what it says is the Smartest power strip yet. The PwrUSB Smart can purportedly do everything from monitoring the kids' TV watching and gaming activities, to scheduling the brewing of the morning coffee, to creating a holiday light show.

"The Smart is our first power strip that is targeted towards end users," says Patsy Lundin, vice president, Sales and Marketing of PowerUSB. "It is both a power saving and power control device."

The four-outlet PwrUSB Smart power strip offers the functionality of power control without being tied to a computer. It's a programmable power strip with a digital display and USB interface.

"The unit can be programmed by attaching it to a computer via USB, and then can be used as a standalone unit," explains Raum Pattikonda, chief technology officer of PowerUSB and mastermind behind this technology. "The individual outlets can be programmed to switch on at certain times."

The Smart has a LCD display to display time, power consumption, next scheduled up time and other information. It offers several modes of operation, including a calendar-based and master load-based switch-on. The Smart is available in different models; go tot he PowerUSB web site for more info.