The humble USB port is so prolific in modern society that it is difficult to imagine life without it. It's enough to make one wonder whether the original creators had any idea how popular their invention would become. Probably not. But that is the way it goes with things as ubiquitous as USB.

USB's ability to carry low-voltage power is essential to what we do here at Paleblue. Recognizing that got us to thinking about the many ways we utilize USB on a daily basis. Needless to say, we use the technology a lot. What about you? How many ways do you use USB ports in your daily life?

1. Charging Our Batteries

If you are a regular customer, you undoubtedly utilize USB ports to charge our batteries. That is the way our batteries work. They do not require any external charger. You can charge them with any live USB port. We think that this is pretty convenient; we suspect our customers think so, too.

2. Connecting Computer Peripherals

Despite nearly all of us owning a smartphone, we still use laptop and desktop computers for some tasks. That being the case, the USB port is invaluable for connecting computer peripherals. USB is invaluable in the sense that it can carry both power and data. That means it can support:

printers and scanners

wireless mice and keyboards

flash drives and USB SSDs

wireless headsets and microphones

game controllers

You can use a PC's USB port to charge your phone. But as you know, you can also use it to transfer data. A USB cable and a few minutes of your time is all you need to transfer those photos from your SD card to your laptop.

3. Powering Streaming Devices

USB has become an integral part of streaming TV content. There are some devices that come with both HDMI and USB ports built in. You connect the device to your TV through the HDMI port while powering it with the USB port.

Another option for streaming is to pair a USB-capable TV with a streaming device that plugs directly into the port. Through that port the device gets its power. But it also sends the streaming data into the TV through the same port. You essentially have a two-in-one device that epitomizes the plug-and-play concept.

4. USB Around the House

If you break a USB down to its most basic components, you have a technology that carries both data and electricity in a single unit. Therefore, every USB device does one or the other. Many do both. There is plenty of room for utilizing USB around the house. If you have something that runs on a battery, you can charge it with USB. If you need to transfer data, USB is the ticket.

Have you ever seen a USB toothbrush? It is a thing. The USB toothbrush is an electric toothbrush with a built-in lithium-ion battery. You charge it with a USB port or a wall outlet adapter. But guess what? The adapter does nothing more than convert from a standard wall outlet to a USB port.

We have seen everything from USB razors to single-cup coffee makers that you plug into your computer. It is all pretty amazing. More importantly, we love USB so much that we chose it as the charging technology for our lithium-ion batteries. And why not? USB rechargeable batteries are convenient and easy to use. And because they don't require an external charger, that's one less thing for you to worry about.