12 terrific gadgets to keep you going when the power stops

Here are 12 gizmos and gadgets that can help keep you connected even when your AC outlets go dead. Some are easy and inexpensive, others are harder to install or more expensive. Take a good look - and you're likely to identify one that best meets your needs.
6/22/2009 5:00:00 AM By: Brian Nadel

Whether you live in Toronto, Canada or Taipei, Taiwan power failures are a fact of modern life.

But don't worry -- there is light at the end of this particular tunnel. When the neighborhood goes dark, your digital life (and business) doesn't have to stop dead in its tracks.

According to Department of Energy records, between 2002 and 2006, power failures became increasingly frequent and affected more people. The Edison Power Research Institute of Palo Alto, Calif., the research arm of the electrical utility industry, said in a 2001 report that the toll from power failures is nearly $46 billion a year in damage and lost work.

Blackouts are caused by a variety of reasons, from a worn out transformer on a power pole down the street or an overloaded feeder cable across the state to a power-plant problem hundreds of miles away.

And summertime, which is thunderstorm season in some parts of the country and AC-overload season in others, seems to bring more than its share of blackouts and brownouts. But while enterprise server farms and data centers have backup power, the chances are that you and I -- and our computer systems -- will be left in the dark.

Some things, like local networks, TVs and desktop computers, shut down right away. Others, like cell phones, notebooks and digital media players, will follow when their batteries run out.

It doesn't have to be that way. With the right strategy and equipment, you can laugh at an electricity outage and stay connected, regardless of whether you're watching an episode of "House" online, sending e-mails or finishing that killer presentation.

You also might want to check out these 10 power-saving myths. Also telecommuters can take away these five chilly lessons from icestorms.

We've assembled 12 gizmos and gadgets that can help keep you connected even when your AC outlets go dead. Some are easy and inexpensive, like emergency lighting or an uninterruptible power supply for a desktop PC.

Others are harder to install and more expensive, like a backup generator for a home or office.

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