The EcoStrip is a power strip with a USB plug for a computer and its peripheral devices. Connect the USB plug with the computer and the power strip will turn on or off all other devices when the computer is turned off. A wonderful way to conserve energy.

The press release in 2007 was picked up by many popular blogs like Gizmodo, EverythingUSB and TreeHugger amongst others. There is even a Facebook group (no longer available) with 161 fans.

So far so good but, to me it looks suspicious. I was looking for a European version of the EcoStrip as I wanted to buy one, so I tried to contact them via the contact form on their website. I never received a response. Looking at the website in a little more detail revealed some other strange things: there is no address, no name, and the last news item dates from 2007. I added one to the shopping cart but there is no checkout button. Is this company legit? Did anyone buy an EcoStrip?

The only reference I could find is the number at the bottom of the website which leads to a US patent in the name of Morton Tarr. A Google search on his name did not return anything relevant.

Do you know anyone who bought an EcoStrip or do you know similar power strips I could buy in Europe?