Gadget guys and gals need one thing almost more than any other: power. In my case, I need juice for my iPhone and Bluetooth headsets (I have several). My older kids need to power up their cellphones and iPods. My younger kids add PlayStation Portables, Game Boys and various MP3 players.

Whew! That’s a lot of gadgets in my family; yours is probably similar. Well, never fear — here’s a nifty USB charger that does several things at once.

To start with, it’s a Belkin device, and I like Belkin products. Second, it has three surge-protected outlets. This isn’t the kind that will protect your electronic devices against lightning strikes and such, but will protect it against smaller power spikes and brownouts.

What’s really nice is that it has two USB charging ports on the side. This allows you to charge multiple gadgets at once, and keep them right next to your laptop, for instance, which can be charging in the power strip.

Most worthy gadgets these days can be powered via USB, so it’s a good time to look into ways to power them up. Yeah, a gadget like this isn’t the sexiest thing around, but look at it this way: your video Nano isn’t going to be showing much video if it’s sitting dead in your pocket.