Link: PC Pro: News: All mobiles to share same charger standard
The Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP), a forum of leading phone operators and manufacturers including heavyweights Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and LG, has agreed to make micro-USB the connector standard on all its future hardware.
“With UK consumers changing their handset on average twice a year there are hundreds millions of chargers and data cables in circulation,” says a statement from the group.
On the average day I carry around two data cables and two chargers, plus a Nokia power adaptor (you know the one that adapts the bigger Nokia plug to the smaller one). It’s a total pain in the arse - and would be even worse if I had any non-Nokia devices about my person.
How long will it be before we start seeing the same connector for power and data on all our mobiles? Given the average life of a device, I reckon it’s going to be a few years before one charger and one data cable rules them all.
Krystal on 
Comment by HeavyLight on 24 September 2007:
Not before time…
A normob friend mentioned (loudly!) today how ‘really displeased’ he’d been to discover that he can’t charge his N95 using the micro-USB cable that powers his TomTom gps gizmo.
And it sounds pretty bizarre to me, too.
Does this also mean his phone wouldn’t receive power from his laptop via USB ?
Comment by Alex on 24 September 2007:
The N95 (at least mine when I tried it) won’t charge via the micro-USB socket when using a Nokia data cable plugged into a laptop. Whether it’s a hardware thing or it can be fixed in software is anyones guess - although my money is unfortunately on the former.
Pingback by renaissance chambara | Ged Carroll » Blog Archive » Links for 2007-09-23 [del.icio.us] on 24 September 2007:
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Comment by HeavyLight on 24 September 2007:
That’s pathetic!
Aren’t the ‘pin-out’ functions on USB-type connectors part of an enforceable standard?
Comment by Vero Pepperrell on 25 September 2007:
If it was as simple as using the same cable regardless of device, I’d be in geek heaven. I have a mental incompatibility with figuring out what cable belongs to what device or promptly losing the most essential cables (ie. my bloody ipod charger!)
Yet this is a case of “I’ll believe it when I see it”… All manufacturers cooperating? The word Utopia comes to mind…