All mobiles to share same charger standard

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 20 Sep 2007 at 15:26

The days of trying to hunt down the right charger for your mobile could be coming to an end.

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 top of that, there are a huge number of different peripherals such as headsets for voice calls, car kits, data cables, many with different physical connectors. This fragmentation creates unnecessary cost for the whole value chain, creates clutter and limits the freedom of selection for end user, and restricts competition by creating barriers of market entry."

Micro-USB ports allow devices to be charged from PCs. They're also smaller than current mini-USB connectors, making them better suited to the smaller form factors of modern personal devices.

"The OMTP's work to bring consensus for what is such a simple yet significant recommendation will have wide reaching benefit," says Markku Verkama, Director of Portfolio Planning at Nokia Technology Platforms.

"With the reduction of cables needed for mobile data connectivity, we can further enhance user experiences in our devices while reducing the burden to the environment."

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