k33l0r writes "The European Commission is confident that all major cellphone companies have reached an agreement on a standard cellphone charger for consumers within the EU. 'People will not have to throw away their charger whenever they buy a new phone,' said EU Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen.
Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Apple, LG, NEC, Qualcomm, Research in Motion, Samsung and Texas Instruments have all signed the agreement."
Well this may carry over as a convenience to the US but I doubt it.(why have two plants making two different types of chargers when you can have one plant making one charger type). That why is Verizon & AT&T. They love locking people in, and since there are so many service carriers they do so with products (iPhone for one).
It's not too much of a lock-in. I can't imagine someone saying, "Man, I'd love to change carriers, but I just don't want to have to use a new charger (which comes with the free phone I'll get). I guess I'll stick with my current carrier!"
I think it's more an issue of the carriers not caring, and the manufacturers using whatever charger is convenient and cheap for them at the time. Standardization is the sort of thing that benefits pretty much everyone over the long term, but can be a PITA for interested players at the time it's started up. So absent of some external impetus, it often just doesn't get started.
It's not too much of a lock-in. I can't imagine someone saying, "Man, I'd love to change carriers, but I just don't want to have to use a new charger (which comes with the free phone I'll get). I guess I'll stick with my current carrier!"
My phone came with one charger. I keep a charger at my desk at home (so i can be on my computer and not worry about charging). But I like to have my phone by the bed in case someone calls me - so i dont have to run to the living room (plus it is a secondary alarm for me). So I need to be an additional charger. Then I need one for work (blue-tooth kills phones)...that's two chargers. Then I need one for the car (blue-tooth again, plus i travel a lot)... that's three chargers. Now I also like to connect the device to my computer to transfer files...4th accessory. I would prefer if i could just swap.
The carriers do care - a lot of the profit for the stores is accessories. They try and push this on you like candy. They buy the chargers for $2-$3 from the manufacturer and sell them for $15 to $25. That's a big profit margin. It's also why you can generally negotiate them. They get a ton of money for selling you phone/service. They are not willing to lose that money so they will give you the chargers.
Where I live, it's the phone manufacturers that make money off chargers. I.e. A replacement charger for my Blackberry cost the equivalent of U$6 while one for a much cheaper Samsong cost U$15.
The phone company itself would much prefer if the phones could be virtually free and if they didn't even need chargers at all. (Disclosure: I work for a mobile provider.) The providers make money off call credits and phone bills. Some (including my employer) provide phone instruments at subsidized prices in hopes that people will get hooked on talking to everyone else.
I suspect this is more to do with waste disposal. I don't know about fellow-geeks, but I have recently cleared my room and found about 15 obsolete chargers for various items I no longer own. All of that is going to have to be disposed of. This new agreement may be the first step towards preventing companies from boxing chargers, or forcing them to sell versions with and without charger.
Yeah, I didn't RTFA so I don't know if this info is included, but I've read elsewhere that the plan is to stop boxing chargers with the phones and instead sell it as an optional accessory.
My Motorola phone has a standard mini-usb connector but you STILL can't use it with standard charger. Why? "Un authorized charger".
From what I've pieced together it has a chip in it to fake that it is connected to a computer. This is a double edged sword of uselessness
1) I can't use my Garmin charger with my phone because it's "un authorized" and won't charge. 2) I can't use my Motorola charger with my Garmin because Garmin puts itself into PC mode (instead of navigation mode).
So now I have to carry 2 - 12V -> USB devices with me because of Motorola.
Trust me, keep an eye out for the buzz words "authentic" "valid" "safe" "genuine".
This is part of the USB spec. Originally USB hosts were only required to provide a certain amount of current to devices. Later they decided to increase this, but to provide backwards compatibility the device has to ask if the host is capable of sourcing that much current before it starts drawing it.
But with all these people running around with new iphones, there are a lot of secondhand Verizon phones available dirt cheap for people who don't care about silly phones.
I was forced to drop AT&T (so I have a used razr here) only because of poor reception. There is no reception for AT&T phones where I work; calls are dropped after seconds, and everyone with an iphone is always running outside as soon as their phone rings. This is in Cupertino CA within walking distance of Apple headquarters.
The story is incorrectly tagged miniusb. It's actually micro USB (which is an inferior connector, in my opinion) which is slightly smaller and lacks the "ears" of mini USB, which is what the Blackberry uses.
The micro-USB is superior to the mini-USB in that the springs which provide the retaining force are on the cable side and not on the phone side. If the spring breaks, you throw away the cable/charger, not the phone.
That would be nice to have a standard for Li-ion batteries too, from mobile phones to shavers and laptops. This way, it would be easier to recycle and replace batteries, lower costs and remove vendor-specific locks. I like alkaline batteries: around 4-5 different formats to power most of our stuff. With Li-ion, we have gained in power and time, but lost in flexibility. Is that so difficult to implement ?
That would be nice to have a standard for Li-ion batteries too, from mobile phones to shavers and laptops. This way, it would be easier to recycle and replace batteries, lower costs and remove vendor-specific locks. I like alkaline batteries: around 4-5 different formats to power most of our stuff. With Li-ion, we have gained in power and time, but lost in flexibility. Is that so difficult to implement ?
Lithium ion cells are standardized. Rebuilding the batteries by opening the casing and replacing the cells is often possible. But lithium-polymer cells are a different story; in order to use every bit of space inside the battery or device, the cells are shaped to fit it. So it really IS difficult to implement.
My girlfriend and me have both a Sony-Ericson phone, bought 3 years apart. Guess what ? Both chargers and connectors are proprietary, fragile, weird and different! Of course if you lose it you'll have to spend an arm to get a replacement.
However this will only work if vendors give the option NOT to get a new charger with a new phone. Otherwise, this will not be really useful.
Actually, the market IS working in the environment that exists - that it, it is taking full advantage of the fact that the cell phone charging industry does not bear the external cost of disposing of perfectly good chargers every time we get a new device. We need the regulation to push that external cost to be part of the product - then market forces will adjust.
Rather than a universal charger designed by committee and consensus, I'd rather see regulation aimed directly at closing off the externality. Like maybe requiring cell phone companies to accept old charges back for a credit. Or not being allowed to package a charger along with the phone - make the consumer buy them separately. I think something along those lines would have the same effect, getting better, cheaper, and universal chargers with minimal overhead.
But either way, I sure hope it spills over to the US - and to other devices. If I have a device that needs 5v, seems like I should only need a transformer of the proper rating - not a random connector as well.
A good exemple that sometimes the market is unable to find the most optimal solution and someone has to regulate.
While I agree that some regulation is necessary - among other things to maintain healthy competition and free markets - they didn't actually regulate it. They hinted that they might, so the vendors found a solution themselves instead. A gentle, but firm, push in the right direction.
Voting with your wallet only works if you have a viable option, and rarely is one actually available to the consumer. While a companies might have the buying power to push the individual rarely does which is why regulation is often necessary to solve this type of issue.
The market at least in the EU had already pretty much standardised on USB charging.. every non-nokia phone I've had used it. Nokia of course had to be different, but there's only 2 nokia charging standards and adapters are readily available (and since ~70% of the phones you see around are Nokias, it's a sort of standard).
What this does is codify what was already happening.
In what world is this already happening?! We bought at the office recently two Nokia, two Sony-Ericsson and one Samsung. They are beyond craziness with respect to connectors.
- both Nokias have the "standard Nokia" thin connector that doesn't comply to ANY reasonable electric standard so you can't just connect it directly to USB or any power supply of any reasonable parameters. Specifications here: http://www.forum.nokia.com/info/sw.nokia.com/id/3378ff2b-4016-42b9-9118-d59e4313a521/Nokia_2-mm_DC_Charging_Interface_Specification_v1_2_en.pdf.html [nokia.com] - one Nokia HAS a standard mini (or micro?) USB connector but it won't charge over it - the other Nokia has a USB connector that LOOKS like mini but it doesn't fit anything but a specific Nokia cable. It still doesn't charge over it - both S-E are equally crazy. You need to connect the headphones to the bottom of the phone via a proprietary connector! This is where power and USB cable also go! Still they would charge over USB but you need the proprietary cable and you need to have the proper drivers in the OS (yes, to charge). Because everything connects there you have interesting combinations like you can't charge when listening to the headphones or you can't listen to the radio while charging (because radio needs the headphones plugged in for antenna) - Samsung has some kind of crazy flat connector, did not take a close look but certainly not USB of any kind - for S-E and Samsung the old chargers don't fit the new phones.
Any word on whether or not they'll be adding a cryptographic handshake that will lock the chargers down harder than connector swapping ever did?
They could even adopt a wireless commerce model: "The charger you have connected is not an official 'Motorola by Verizon' brand charger. Press 'OK' to activate the charger for a payment of $29.95 or purchase an official charger." With cellphone location services, you could even do location based selective lockouts! "I'm sorry, your charger is authorized for home use only. Please subscribe to our 'Home and Business' charger plan or, for travellers, 'National Omnicharge Premium' for just $19.95 a month."
I'm no environ-nut. I don't bend over backwards to save the earth. But I do make a change when something 'makes sense.'
A prius? Value isn't there. High up-front costs, low performance. I think not.
E-85? Lower energy output than gasoline. Starving people that depend on Corn. Did you know that last year the Mexicans had a shortage of corn products. Do you know they use a LOT more corn than we (US-IANS) do.Glad we're past that.
On the other hand: CFL - A time and a place. I leave our front porch lights on at night, and a few others for security. I put in CFLs to save a little money. They run all night and I don't need them instantly, so the warm up time doesn't bother me. I tried them in a closet... No way. I'm done in the closet before they warm up. They make all of my clothes look blue so I can't figure out which pants are which. And I'll be damned if I ever put them in the kids room. HIGH chance of broken bulb. Mercury/Carpet/Kids don't mix.
LED bulbs... I can't wait (till they're under $5.) Instant-on, LOW wattage, user-selectable colors. The US may as well skip mandating CFL because LED is where we're going.
Other Hybrids... Before long, NASCAR is going to see that there's some way to make this hybrid stuff make cars go faster and farther without a pit-stop... There are four industries here that drive new tech for the consumer. Military, NASA, Nascar and pr0n.
And all my devices on the same plug? GREAT. Less waste will hopefully mean less cost for me. Sure the manufacturers are going to eat most of that money as profit. But, if it means that I don't have to worry about buying a $30 car charger from ATT, I can just use a generic one for $5. Plus I can have a charger in the car, a charger at home and one at the office. I'll never have to worry about being without my iPhone cable again. At a neighbor's house? Good, their's is the same.
Incompatibility of chargers for mobile phones is a major inconvenience for users and also leads to unnecessary waste. Therefore, the Commission has requested industry to come forward with a voluntary commitment to solve this problem so as to avoid legislation.
and
Industry commits to provide chargers compatibility on the basis of the Micro-USB connector. Once the commitment becomes effective, it will be possible to charge data-enabled mobile phones from any charger compatible with the common specifications.
Considering that it already connects to USB sockets, then all that is needed is a USB - micro-USB adaptor.
The only question is whether USB power plugs will be made 'smarter', since there are still some that won't charge certain telephones for what ever reason.
I like that my PS3 controller uses mini USB for charging. I can even charge it right from my MacBook!
There are a lot of things that can be recharged, and as things get more wireless, it's going to become more important.
The trouble with charging through a USB connector is that it's also a USB port. Most phones aren't well-protected against attacks via the USB port. With a common charger interface, you're going to find charger outlets everywhere. Some of them will be hostile.
So now you need a cable that only passes power. But that may not be enough. Motorola RAZR phones, for example, won't charge on PCs unless the Motorola driver is present to do the handshake. By default,a USB port will deliver at least 100mA, but if asked, it may deliver up to 500mA. Laptops actively manage USB power; desktop systems often don't bother.
So you may need a data connection, which opens up a whole new range of attacks on phones. Which means you may sometimes need a "firewall", a device which does the USB handshake and requests 500mA, then delivers it over a cable with no data wires.
This has been possible for a while, but with standardization, we'll have outlet strips with USB ports all over the place, in cafes, on aircraft, in cars, etc.
Maybe instead of just trying to get a first post in you read the damn article.
The Commission said the agreement would involve the creation of an EU norm, and that the new generation of mobile phones would use a standard micro-USB socket to ensure compatibility.
;) Just sometimes feel like an old man holding out for an ideal age where people read the article (or at least admit they didn't). Then again I still hold out for the day skittles will pop sunshine out of my ass.
Not enough detail in the article, but most likely by following the USB Battery Charging Specification. (Which was, unfortunately, released long after numerous "de facto" standards for signaling dumb chargers became prolific, most of which involve tying mini-USB pin 4 to ground with varying amounts of resistance. This can't be done in micro-USB, as micro-USB has specified meaning for pin 4.)
Does your Pre draw 1000 mA from a computer, or from a "dumb charger" that signals itself as such?
RTFA
It will be Mini-USB. However there are 2 issues still to clarify.
1. Will the phone be required to charge at the standard voltages delivered by a PC USB port? I would hate to see that BS achieved by Motorola, where you can only charge on a PC if the Motorola Charger is installed. I would prefer if everyone else has to change to match Blackberry. If my Blackberry runs low in the data center I can just plug into any exposed USB port on a powered up server. . A Dell waiting at the BIOS screen or a SUN in full production.
2. Will this be coordinated with the Chinese standard? If both the EU and China agree on a standard, India and Japan can be convinced to adopt it. Leaving America to figure out which direction it wants to go.
America will use the same charger standard when the chips for power and charging based on that standard become super cheap. Which will be the case a year or so after the standard is adopted.
There is a lot more to it than just having a micro-USB connector (people say mini-USB, but they clearly did not RTFA). A lot of us in consumer electronics, especially mobile devices tend to do crazy things with charging. Like run the USB ports at 6V+ when charging. Or have special resistors shorted over the data lines to
2. Will this be coordinated with the Chinese standard? If both the EU and China agree on a standard, India and Japan can be convinced to adopt it. Leaving America to figure out which direction it wants to go.
If the metric system vs. SAE is any gauge, we'll use our own thing.
Overall this is a positive step. Yes current gen phone chargers/accessories won't be involved but such is life for new technology standards - some things get left behind. But from next year and on we will be using a standardized interface which will mean you only have to buy the product once. Since they are all the same expect better pricing ($20 for a charger = rip off). One of the things that kept me from going to a new product type was having to re-buy all of my accessories...i would have to negotiate
Because the chargers you buy from the misc. vendors are typically cheaper in quality. They are not as tuned to the device and may send power surges which could damage your phone. They are also not as efficient and this turns out into more energy use. Not noticeable for one person, but take into consideration that millions of people use these devices and that adds up to wasted energy.
Think of your cell phone as your home computer (mine has important contact information, some pics, etc). Do you just plug
I would suspect that if you're buying a new phone, old accessories tend to share the same fate as the phone. If you're throwing away the phone, you generally throw away the chargers, too. And why not? The new phone will come with a new charger. The only real exception I can see is if your new phone has the same charger and you want a second charger-- but then again, if you really need a second charger, you may have already bought a second charger for your old phone, still leaving you with an extra.
The dock connector already accepts USB charging.. they just need to produce an adapter cable - which knowing apple will be an optional accessory costing arm+leg.
How about the damn US? (Score:4, Insightful)
Hopefully this will spread - but I doubt it.
Re:How about the damn US? (Score:5, Interesting)
It's not too much of a lock-in. I can't imagine someone saying, "Man, I'd love to change carriers, but I just don't want to have to use a new charger (which comes with the free phone I'll get). I guess I'll stick with my current carrier!"
I think it's more an issue of the carriers not caring, and the manufacturers using whatever charger is convenient and cheap for them at the time. Standardization is the sort of thing that benefits pretty much everyone over the long term, but can be a PITA for interested players at the time it's started up. So absent of some external impetus, it often just doesn't get started.
Parent
Re:How about the damn US? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not too much of a lock-in. I can't imagine someone saying, "Man, I'd love to change carriers, but I just don't want to have to use a new charger (which comes with the free phone I'll get). I guess I'll stick with my current carrier!"
My phone came with one charger. I keep a charger at my desk at home (so i can be on my computer and not worry about charging). But I like to have my phone by the bed in case someone calls me - so i dont have to run to the living room (plus it is a secondary alarm for me). So I need to be an additional charger. Then I need one for work (blue-tooth kills phones)...that's two chargers. Then I need one for the car (blue-tooth again, plus i travel a lot)... that's three chargers. Now I also like to connect the device to my computer to transfer files...4th accessory. I would prefer if i could just swap.
The carriers do care - a lot of the profit for the stores is accessories. They try and push this on you like candy. They buy the chargers for $2-$3 from the manufacturer and sell them for $15 to $25. That's a big profit margin. It's also why you can generally negotiate them. They get a ton of money for selling you phone/service. They are not willing to lose that money so they will give you the chargers.
Parent
Re:How about the damn US? (Score:5, Interesting)
The phone company itself would much prefer if the phones could be virtually free and if they didn't even need chargers at all. (Disclosure: I work for a mobile provider.) The providers make money off call credits and phone bills. Some (including my employer) provide phone instruments at subsidized prices in hopes that people will get hooked on talking to everyone else.
Parent
Re:How about the damn US? (Score:4, Insightful)
Why not just use the landline they provide you at work at your desk?
Parent
Re:How about the damn US? (Score:4, Insightful)
Why not just use the landline they provide you at work at your desk?
Do you really think he doesn't have a reason? I mean, give the 2456 user ID some benefit of the doubt here...
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I suspect this is more to do with waste disposal. I don't know about fellow-geeks, but I have recently cleared my room and found about 15 obsolete chargers for various items I no longer own. All of that is going to have to be disposed of. This new agreement may be the first step towards preventing companies from boxing chargers, or forcing them to sell versions with and without charger.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Mini-USB Lockin, there are ways (Score:5, Interesting)
My Motorola phone has a standard mini-usb connector but you STILL can't use it with standard charger. Why? "Un authorized charger".
From what I've pieced together it has a chip in it to fake that it is connected to a computer. This is a double edged sword of uselessness
1) I can't use my Garmin charger with my phone because it's "un authorized" and won't charge.
2) I can't use my Motorola charger with my Garmin because Garmin puts itself into PC mode (instead of navigation mode).
So now I have to carry 2 - 12V -> USB devices with me because of Motorola.
Trust me, keep an eye out for the buzz words "authentic" "valid" "safe" "genuine".
Parent
Part of the USB Spec (Score:5, Informative)
This is part of the USB spec. Originally USB hosts were only required to provide a certain amount of current to devices. Later they decided to increase this, but to provide backwards compatibility the device has to ask if the host is capable of sourcing that much current before it starts drawing it.
Parent
Re:How about the damn US? (Score:4, Informative)
That's because Verizon locks their phones down big time. Since the phone detected a USB data connection, it refuses to charge.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I was forced to drop AT&T (so I have a used razr here) only because of poor reception. There is no reception for AT&T phones where I work; calls are dropped after seconds, and everyone with an iphone is always running outside as soon as their phone rings. This is in Cupertino CA within walking distance of Apple headquarters.
Micro (Score:4, Informative)
The story is incorrectly tagged miniusb. It's actually micro USB (which is an inferior connector, in my opinion) which is slightly smaller and lacks the "ears" of mini USB, which is what the Blackberry uses.
-Peter
Micro is superior for this use... (Score:5, Informative)
MiniUSB is rated for 1000 connect/disconnect cycles
MicroUSB is rated for 10,000 connect/disconnect cycles, and is also thinner by about 1.5mm (critical on modern thin devices).
Given the power consumption on some smartphones, having the more durable connector is IMO, essential.
Parent
Re:Micro (Score:5, Informative)
The micro-USB is superior to the mini-USB in that the springs which provide the retaining force are on the cable side and not on the phone side. If the spring breaks, you throw away the cable/charger, not the phone.
Parent
Douglas Adams would be delighted (Score:4, Interesting)
Batteries too... (Score:4, Insightful)
That would be nice to have a standard for Li-ion batteries too, from mobile phones to shavers and laptops. This way, it would be easier to recycle and replace batteries, lower costs and remove vendor-specific locks. I like alkaline batteries: around 4-5 different formats to power most of our stuff. With Li-ion, we have gained in power and time, but lost in flexibility. Is that so difficult to implement ?
Re:Batteries too... (Score:4, Informative)
Lithium ion cells are standardized. Rebuilding the batteries by opening the casing and replacing the cells is often possible. But lithium-polymer cells are a different story; in order to use every bit of space inside the battery or device, the cells are shaped to fit it. So it really IS difficult to implement.
Parent
Correction (Score:4, Interesting)
You mean the manufacturers will be able to make the charger an accessory.
At additional cost^H^H^H^Hprofit.
Saving the planet, one quarter's financial results at a time. I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy again, especially around my wallet.
Re:Correction (Score:4, Informative)
You mean the manufacturers will be able to make the charger an accessory.
Well, isn't that a good thing? What would be the logic of this agreement if the companies just continued supplying chargers with each phone?
Parent
Good! (Score:4, Informative)
My girlfriend and me have both a Sony-Ericson phone, bought 3 years apart. Guess what ? Both chargers and connectors are proprietary, fragile, weird and different! Of course if you lose it you'll have to spend an arm to get a replacement.
However this will only work if vendors give the option NOT to get a new charger with a new phone. Otherwise, this will not be really useful.
Thanks EU regulation (Score:5, Insightful)
A good exemple that sometimes the market is unable to find the most optimal solution and someone has to regulate.
Re:Thanks EU regulation (Score:4, Insightful)
Actually, the market IS working in the environment that exists - that it, it is taking full advantage of the fact that the cell phone charging industry does not bear the external cost of disposing of perfectly good chargers every time we get a new device. We need the regulation to push that external cost to be part of the product - then market forces will adjust.
Rather than a universal charger designed by committee and consensus, I'd rather see regulation aimed directly at closing off the externality. Like maybe requiring cell phone companies to accept old charges back for a credit. Or not being allowed to package a charger along with the phone - make the consumer buy them separately. I think something along those lines would have the same effect, getting better, cheaper, and universal chargers with minimal overhead.
But either way, I sure hope it spills over to the US - and to other devices. If I have a device that needs 5v, seems like I should only need a transformer of the proper rating - not a random connector as well.
Parent
Re:Thanks EU regulation (Score:5, Insightful)
A good exemple that sometimes the market is unable to find the most optimal solution and someone has to regulate.
While I agree that some regulation is necessary - among other things to maintain healthy competition and free markets - they didn't actually regulate it. They hinted that they might, so the vendors found a solution themselves instead. A gentle, but firm, push in the right direction.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Thanks EU regulation (Score:5, Insightful)
The market at least in the EU had already pretty much standardised on USB charging.. every non-nokia phone I've had used it. Nokia of course had to be different, but there's only 2 nokia charging standards and adapters are readily available (and since ~70% of the phones you see around are Nokias, it's a sort of standard).
What this does is codify what was already happening.
In what world is this already happening?! We bought at the office recently two Nokia, two Sony-Ericsson and one Samsung. They are beyond craziness with respect to connectors.
- both Nokias have the "standard Nokia" thin connector that doesn't comply to ANY reasonable electric standard so you can't just connect it directly to USB or any power supply of any reasonable parameters. Specifications here: http://www.forum.nokia.com/info/sw.nokia.com/id/3378ff2b-4016-42b9-9118-d59e4313a521/Nokia_2-mm_DC_Charging_Interface_Specification_v1_2_en.pdf.html [nokia.com]
- one Nokia HAS a standard mini (or micro?) USB connector but it won't charge over it
- the other Nokia has a USB connector that LOOKS like mini but it doesn't fit anything but a specific Nokia cable. It still doesn't charge over it
- both S-E are equally crazy. You need to connect the headphones to the bottom of the phone via a proprietary connector! This is where power and USB cable also go! Still they would charge over USB but you need the proprietary cable and you need to have the proper drivers in the OS (yes, to charge). Because everything connects there you have interesting combinations like you can't charge when listening to the headphones or you can't listen to the radio while charging (because radio needs the headphones plugged in for antenna)
- Samsung has some kind of crazy flat connector, did not take a close look but certainly not USB of any kind
- for S-E and Samsung the old chargers don't fit the new phones.
I see this as a BIG MOVE for Europe.
Parent
So... (Score:4, Insightful)
They could even adopt a wireless commerce model: "The charger you have connected is not an official 'Motorola by Verizon' brand charger. Press 'OK' to activate the charger for a payment of $29.95 or purchase an official charger." With cellphone location services, you could even do location based selective lockouts! "I'm sorry, your charger is authorized for home use only. Please subscribe to our 'Home and Business' charger plan or, for travellers, 'National Omnicharge Premium' for just $19.95 a month."
Ah, evil.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Believe me. The EU would sue them to hell for this. They will pull a Microsoft punishment on them.
Everonmentalism I can agree with (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm no environ-nut. I don't bend over backwards to save the earth. But I do make a change when something 'makes sense.'
A prius? Value isn't there. High up-front costs, low performance. I think not.
E-85? Lower energy output than gasoline. Starving people that depend on Corn. Did you know that last year the Mexicans had a shortage of corn products. Do you know they use a LOT more corn than we (US-IANS) do .Glad we're past that.
On the other hand:
CFL - A time and a place. I leave our front porch lights on at night, and a few others for security. I put in CFLs to save a little money. They run all night and I don't need them instantly, so the warm up time doesn't bother me. I tried them in a closet... No way. I'm done in the closet before they warm up. They make all of my clothes look blue so I can't figure out which pants are which. And I'll be damned if I ever put them in the kids room. HIGH chance of broken bulb. Mercury/Carpet/Kids don't mix.
LED bulbs... I can't wait (till they're under $5.) Instant-on, LOW wattage, user-selectable colors. The US may as well skip mandating CFL because LED is where we're going.
Other Hybrids... Before long, NASCAR is going to see that there's some way to make this hybrid stuff make cars go faster and farther without a pit-stop... There are four industries here that drive new tech for the consumer. Military, NASA, Nascar and pr0n.
And all my devices on the same plug? GREAT. Less waste will hopefully mean less cost for me. Sure the manufacturers are going to eat most of that money as profit. But, if it means that I don't have to worry about buying a $30 car charger from ATT, I can just use a generic one for $5. Plus I can have a charger in the car, a charger at home and one at the office. I'll never have to worry about being without my iPhone cable again. At a neighbor's house? Good, their's is the same.
Re:Everonmentalism I can agree with (Score:4, Informative)
http://venturebeat.com/2007/01/15/ethanol-use-causing-corn-shortages-spiking-price-price-of-tortillas/ [venturebeat.com]
Well, I haven't done the direct research myself, I just know what I've read.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-07-10-ethanol-study_x.htm [usatoday.com]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119258870811261613.html [wsj.com]
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/05/business/05ethanol.html [nytimes.com]
http://www.heartland.org/policybot/results/20947/Biotech_to_Ease_EthanolRelated_Corn_Shortage.html [heartland.org]
And to further your argument (again, I'm more interested in the truth than being right)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/may/10/ethanol-as-cause-of-food-crisis-flat-out-wrong/ [washingtontimes.com]
http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f81/definitive-proof-ethanol-not-creating-food-corn-shortage-61448/ [gminsidenews.com]
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't have the patience to actually send them in to the company, though.
you just explained why they burn out in 3 months
The original post (Score:4, Informative)
press release [europa.eu] and a memo [europa.eu].
Most interesting parts:
Incompatibility of chargers for mobile phones is a major inconvenience for users and also leads to unnecessary waste. Therefore, the Commission has requested industry to come forward with a voluntary commitment to solve this problem so as to avoid legislation.
and
Industry commits to provide chargers compatibility on the basis of the Micro-USB connector. Once the commitment becomes effective, it will be possible to charge data-enabled mobile phones from any charger compatible with the common specifications.
With regard to the iPhone (Score:4, Interesting)
Apple indicates while it won't drop its connector, it will enable adaptors to be made:
http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/apple-won-t-drop-dock-connector-for-micro-usb-612103 [techradar.com]
Considering that it already connects to USB sockets, then all that is needed is a USB - micro-USB adaptor.
The only question is whether USB power plugs will be made 'smarter', since there are still some that won't charge certain telephones for what ever reason.
Why stop at phones? (Score:5, Interesting)
Induction chargers (Score:3, Insightful)
Induction chargers are the solution, you don't need any sockets.
Plus you can just place multiple items on it.
Three cheers for government regulation! (Score:5, Funny)
C'mon market fetishist mod me down!
Now you need a firewall for the charger. (Score:3, Interesting)
The trouble with charging through a USB connector is that it's also a USB port. Most phones aren't well-protected against attacks via the USB port. With a common charger interface, you're going to find charger outlets everywhere. Some of them will be hostile.
So now you need a cable that only passes power. But that may not be enough. Motorola RAZR phones, for example, won't charge on PCs unless the Motorola driver is present to do the handshake. By default,a USB port will deliver at least 100mA, but if asked, it may deliver up to 500mA. Laptops actively manage USB power; desktop systems often don't bother.
So you may need a data connection, which opens up a whole new range of attacks on phones. Which means you may sometimes need a "firewall", a device which does the USB handshake and requests 500mA, then delivers it over a cable with no data wires.
This has been possible for a while, but with standardization, we'll have outlet strips with USB ports all over the place, in cafes, on aircraft, in cars, etc.
Re:So what's it gonna be? (Score:5, Informative)
The Commission said the agreement would involve the creation of an EU norm, and that the new generation of mobile phones would use a standard micro-USB socket to ensure compatibility.
4th paragraph
Parent
Re:So what's it gonna be? (Score:5, Funny)
Hahaha. You must be new here.
;) Just sometimes feel like an old man holding out for an ideal age where people read the article (or at least admit they didn't). Then again I still hold out for the day skittles will pop sunshine out of my ass.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:How does this Ensure Compatibility? (Score:4, Informative)
Not enough detail in the article, but most likely by following the USB Battery Charging Specification. (Which was, unfortunately, released long after numerous "de facto" standards for signaling dumb chargers became prolific, most of which involve tying mini-USB pin 4 to ground with varying amounts of resistance. This can't be done in micro-USB, as micro-USB has specified meaning for pin 4.)
Does your Pre draw 1000 mA from a computer, or from a "dumb charger" that signals itself as such?
Parent
Re:So what's it gonna be? (Score:5, Informative)
It will be Mini-USB. However there are 2 issues still to clarify.
1. Will the phone be required to charge at the standard voltages delivered by a PC USB port? I would hate to see that BS achieved by Motorola, where you can only charge on a PC if the Motorola Charger is installed. I would prefer if everyone else has to change to match Blackberry. If my Blackberry runs low in the data center I can just plug into any exposed USB port on a powered up server. . A Dell waiting at the BIOS screen or a SUN in full production.
2. Will this be coordinated with the Chinese standard? If both the EU and China agree on a standard, India and Japan can be convinced to adopt it. Leaving America to figure out which direction it wants to go.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
America will use the same charger standard when the chips for power and charging based on that standard become super cheap. Which will be the case a year or so after the standard is adopted.
There is a lot more to it than just having a micro-USB connector (people say mini-USB, but they clearly did not RTFA). A lot of us in consumer electronics, especially mobile devices tend to do crazy things with charging. Like run the USB ports at 6V+ when charging. Or have special resistors shorted over the data lines to
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
If the metric system vs. SAE is any gauge, we'll use our own thing.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Think of your cell phone as your home computer (mine has important contact information, some pics, etc). Do you just plug
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Do people really throw away their old chargers?
I would suspect that if you're buying a new phone, old accessories tend to share the same fate as the phone. If you're throwing away the phone, you generally throw away the chargers, too. And why not? The new phone will come with a new charger. The only real exception I can see is if your new phone has the same charger and you want a second charger-- but then again, if you really need a second charger, you may have already bought a second charger for your old phone, still leaving you with an extra.
And
Re:Good, I guess... (Score:4, Informative)
I take it that Apple isn't part of this little bandwagon.
L2RTFA. They agreed to it.
Parent
Re:Apple? (Score:4, Informative)
The dock connector already accepts USB charging.. they just need to produce an adapter cable - which knowing apple will be an optional accessory costing arm+leg.
Parent