T began as a simple way of getting computers and other devices
to play nicely together. But it has given rise to a stream of
gadgets far more exotic than the printers and mouses it was designed
to accommodate.
Its
initials have also become increasingly familiar in the digital
lexicon: U.S.B., for universal serial bus.
U.S.B.
ports, and the plugs that fit them, make it easier to connect
devices to a computer, eliminating screwdriver-heavy tasks and
the need to reboot the computer every time a new piece of equipment
is plugged in.
But
perhaps most important, two of a U.S.B. cable's four wires carry
not data but juice: enough current to run small to midsize gadgets
with no need for batteries or AC adapters.
Eight
years ago, when the technology first appeared, U.S.B. meant keyboards,
joysticks and the like. But manufacturers began cottoning to U.S.B.'s
ability to provide a power source, leading to a host of gizmos
that have nothing to do with computers: radios, reading lights,
even massage balls and air purifiers.
And
as Scott Smith of the online retailer ThinkGeek (www.thinkgeek.com)
points out, the universality of U.S.B. (that's what the U stands
for, after all) means fewer international adapters for globetrotters
to lug around.
Though
many of the latest arrivals fall at the absurd end of the gadget
continuum - like a U.S.B. flash drive shaped like a rubber duck
- many are innovative, even ingenious: a U.S.B. cellphone charger,
for example, lets you use your laptop for on-the-road S O S.
So
the next time a blackout hits, your laptop's robust battery might
find itself powering more than just your palmtop.
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