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Finally got that great home theater system put together, did you? Happy with your computer set up? Fantastic. You may think you’re done, but you’re not. There are two things we need to look at here: your power control outlets and your method of keeping those shiny screens clean. Monster is ready to address both issues quite capably, but at a price.

Monster GreenPower Digital PowerCenter MDP 900

Provides: Green power management for your electronic devices
Developer: Monster
Price: $149.95
Availability: Now

Green is the new black, and companies everywhere are making a push towards products that are more friendly to the environment. About time, I say. Monster has actually created a device that makes other companies’ products green in a hassle free way.

You know by now that electronic devices use energy even when you’re not using them. It’s been suggested that you turn off your power strip to such devices when they’re not in use, but this is not always practical. I need for my wireless router to stay on, and it’s plugged into the same strip as my computer, which I don’t need on. Same goes for my TV and home entertainment system; I can’t shut the power strip off for these because I need for the cable box DVR and Wii to remain in standby, and they’re connected to the same strip.

Enter the Monster GreenPower Digital PowerCenter MDP 900. This power strip offers 10 outlets, five of which are “GreenPower.” The PowerCenter recognizes when devices plugged into these outlets are off or asleep and switches off the power to them. Not using your computer? Then it’s not consuming electricty. Finally. Turn your computer back on or wake it from sleep, and the power to the device is instantly switched back on. You won’t even notice it wasn’t there. Of course, you still have the option t shut the whole thing down if you choose, or you can choose to disable the GreenPower to have the entire strip behave normally.

And Monster doesn’t stop with that. The MDP 900 also offers two USB ports for charging your iPhone, iPod and such (although considering the Monster unit will likely sit on the floor, I’m not sure how practical this is). Surge protection features carry through to your phone (phone cable included) and and ethernet lines with the included pass-throughs, as well as your cable (coax cable included) and satellite lines. Should you get a power surge, the MDP 900 automatically disconnects these and sounds an alarm to warn you. It’s not a suitable replacement for a uninterruptible power supply (UPS) if you’re using it with your computer, but it’s certainly better than the $12 power strips you’ve got lying around.

Whether you’d save enough money with the GreenPower option to justify the cost of the MDP 900, I can’t say (although you’re getting it because it’s better for the environment, right?). The more you have plugged into it, the more you’ll save. But just consider this feature a bonus to a power center system that already offers enough great features to make it worth the cost. In fact, I have just one complaint; three of the outlets on each side are too close together for some of the adapters I have to plug into them. That drives me nuts, but it’s something I’ll work around in this case.

Monster ScreenClean

Provides: LCD and plasma safe screen cleaning
Developer: Monster
Price: $19.99
Availability: Now

Not nearly as expensive as a PowerCenter, but just as practical, is Monster ScreenClean. Pretty much any screen you stare at to work, watch movies, play games and take photos runs the risk of getting dusty and smudged with fingerprints. In my house, there comes a point where it’s just easier to clean the LCD TV than to continue reminding the kids to stop touching it, and that’s where Monster ScreenClean comes into play.

Now, I’m fully aware that you can throw together a perfectly good screen cleaner on your own for $5 to $10. A quick search on the Internet will turn up recommendations for all you’ll need. But at $20, Monster ScreenClean gives you all of this (including the non-abrasive, lint-free, micro-fiber cloth) without the hassle of having to mix your own ingredients (or the danger of mixing the wrong ones). You’re also guaranteed a drip-free mixture, so you won’t have to worry about the solution getting inside your electronic devices.

There’s really not much to review here; it’s cleaner and a cloth. Spray the cleaner on the cloth, rub in a circular motion, and you’re done. Nearly a year’s worth of fingerprints were gone in a matter of seconds from both the screen and the casing of my Samsung LCD. A couple areas took some extra effort, but I never really had to apply any elbow grease (and wouldn’t have). I did the same with my MacBook, and those little smudges I’d been staring through for some time were quickly swiped away.

Monster offers ScreenClean products for specific items, but I found the basic Monster ScreenClean worked with everything on which I tested it: the LCD TV, my MacBook, my camera and camcorder viewfinders, my Nintendo DS screens and my iPhone. The DS and iPhone screens were already under screen protectors, and Monster’s product just cleaned those instead.

If $20 seems like a lot, don’t worry about it. You get 200mL, and that should last you quite a while. The included cloth is washable, so you won’t have to worry about that, either. You can mix your own solution and get your own cloth, but in the end, you’re likely saving enough to risk getting it wrong and damaging your screen.