I wrote about this a while back, and it seems someone had the exact same idea. Brando just released a USB hub with switches that let you turn the connected devices on or off as you please.

http://usb.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00394

I’m not too fond of the design (which does little to hide the wiring and uses slide switches instead of more convenient push buttons), and a couple of more ports would have been nice, but this is a great device nontheless. Every time someone does not power up that little-used scanner and saves rain forests as a result is important.

I use lots of USB devices. External hard drives, a flatbed scanner, card reader, webcam, etc… But I don’t use all of them very often. I’ve even disconnected the scanner because it has no on/off switch and it makes all kind of calibrating noises when I start my computer. My external hard drive, which I use just once a week to run a system backup, also makes more noise than my PC does and it too lacks a proper power switch. This why I came up with the idea of an USB hub with switches that let you decide which devices you want to start up and which you don’t need.
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