What to Get for Someone Who Has Everything

OK, well not necessarily absolutely everything - I think that's a different crowd than I move in, perhaps - but let's face it: some people are hard to buy for. Here's a cool and affordable idea, though - how about a built-in USB charger?

Besides being a convenient thing to have around the house, it also gives your significant other a weekend project! You can't beat that kind of two-for-one gift. (The creative person could also come up with a personalized t-shirt to go with, but I digress...)

These gizmos were introduced in the middle of 2011, and then featured at the Consumer Electronics Show last January. Meanwhile, I have yet to find them on the shelves at my local haunts - Home Depot,  Ace Hardware and Menards (which does list a couple varieties online, though) - but they are available on the Internet. (Just click on the links below.)

My favorite is from CurrentWerks, just because it's (a) really built-in, and (b) you don't have to sacrifice a regular outlet. The device is available in both a standard type outlet and a designer version, too (shown here). Directions are available online, courtesy of SmartHome.com, but it's really pretty standard stuff:

• Turn off the circuit breaker (or unscrew the fuse?)
• Remove the faceplate; remove and de-wire the old outlet.
• Wire up the new one and put it back into the outlet box.
• Attach the faceplate, and power up.

Suddenly, you don't have to unplug anything else to charge up your phone or iPad or whatever. And you only have to hunt for the cable, not the transformer. Just as an aside, whoever came up with the USB connector made all of our lives much simpler! Data and power in one simple, universal connector. Alleluia!

Another version of the built-in charger is available from Cooper, which is a well-known name in electrical circles. It's about the same to install, but you lose one 110 outlet in the process. Also, for me it just doesn't have the same aesthetic. Functionally, though, it's a good thing, and in my book it still counts as an upgrade to your castle.

Those two options are fine for homeowners, but what about you apartment dwellers? Well, Audiovox-RCA has you covered. Its version of the "built-in" charger is actually like a cube tap - you simply plug it into a standard outlet in place of (or over) the faceplate. It still offers one 110 outlet, but gives you two USB charging ports as well. It's the simplest of these three options to install, and it's portable; when the lease is up, take it with you and plug it in at your new place.

And if you want something really kind of different, Audiovox-RCA is on the verge of releasing a version of this USB charger that has a built-in nightlight as well. Now that's way cool. (The website says it's coming in May.)