Comments on: Universal cell phone charger by 2012

By: Ange

Ange — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:32:22 +0000

I’m not sure how the Apple cord is better than any cord… my (admittedly rather ancient) HTC Touch uses a mini-USB to both charge and sync to the smartphone. My iPod seems to sync faster, but I wonder if that’s more of a software issue (Windows Sync is notoriously flaky).

That said – please, one charger for everything, even if it’s everything non-Apple. I bought a set that includes a single USB car charger and FIVE small baggies of adapters for various chargers. That’s right – five baggies, with 3-4 adapters each. So far, I’ve used at least four of the adapters (mini-USB, micro-USB, iPod, game adapter, among others). And my cords box contains a large freezer bag labeled “adapters,” since we get a new one with each phone/camera/gadget acquired, and not all of them are of the best quality. :/ One of these days, I’ll get around to sorting through the big baggie.

By: Brii

Brii — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:25:11 +0000

um, htc has a different shaped charger port, but i have used my husbands micro usb blackberry charger for it and it works just fine….you dont need the special shape. its just for like thier headsets and all that jazz. i have also had HTC phones for the past 2 years, love them.
and i can guarentee apple will not join this, simply because how are they going to make money when everything uses 1 cord. how is any company going to make money when you forget to pack your phone charger, but everyones uses the same. just find a buddhy. this wont happen because the different charger ports are the way for the manufacturer to make money off of us…charging us 20 to sometimes 30 dollars for a replacement charger for that specific phone.

i know its annoying but it is a marketing ploy.

simple as that.

By: Open Loops 3/10/2009: Articles I Think Worth Passing Along | SimpleProductivityBlog.com

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 11:01:48 +0000

[...] first brought this to my attention: “Universal cell phone charger by 2012“. Struggling to find a USB charger for my new phone, I just wish it was [...]

By: Moo! The Musings of a Plaid Cow » Universal Cell Phone Charger

Moo! The Musings of a Plaid Cow » Universal Cell Phone Charger — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:26:47 +0000

[...] good news, according to this article, is that the major cell phone companies have gotten together and will be standardizing on a single [...]

By: Marc Rohde

Marc Rohde — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:33:51 +0000

I don’t think that Witricity and Powermats are a relevant comparison. They are great products if you intend to power a device in a fixed location but I certainly don’t want to carry one around to charge in my car or on the road.

This is a great step in the right direction and look forward to having one power cord of all my phones.

By: Jon

Jon — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:43:17 +0000

Stupid question, but why do I care if multiple cell phones have the same charger? Yes, there are some small advantages I guess:

- couples can share the same charger
- easier to borrow one when I’m in a pinch
- when I get my next cell phone, I’ll have a spare that works

But like some others said, what we really need is a common standard for all kinds of devices. If I could charge my mp3 player, camera, phone, and laptop using the same charger, THEN I would be happy.

A smart company (e.g. one that doesn’t rip its customers off on the chargers/adapters, like Apple) would then offer its products with the charger, or without it for a lower price.

By: Rue

Rue — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:28:25 +0000

I think it’s a great step in the right direction. Obviously the ideal situation would be for everything that uses a charger to use the same one. But even if this were to occur, as technology changes, whatever charger is the norm will simply become obsolete. In 5 years, there will probably be something even better than micro-USB. Then, some companies may opt to stay with micro-USB while others go to the next “new” thing – and then we’re back in the same hole. =\

I think it’s a great idea, just not necessarily practical for long-term.

By: M. Pierce

M. Pierce — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 11:51:19 +0000

People will just buy extra chargers for work or when they lose them, this will be a “huge” industry for the mobile companies…

By: Leo

Leo — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 04:06:23 +0000

Freecia, I use one like this:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13246

My cell phone has a mini-usb connection and it works like a charm!

By: freecia

freecia — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 03:17:05 +0000

I remember a microUSB cable which was about 8 inches long and hooked into itself so it could attach to keychains and such. Can’t find the reference now and it is driving me batty. Anyone know where to find it? It was also available for mini USB I believe.

By: Sahadev Komaragiri

Sahadev Komaragiri — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:22:37 +0000

Read this web site every day.. great work u guys!

I like the idea of a single charger. This has been long over due. I think this idea must immediately be extended to the laptops. If all cell phones can have a standard charger, why can’t all the laptops have a standard AC adapter? I know there are some universal adapters out there, but why can’t the laptop manufacturers come together with a standard? All desktops have a standard AC power cable!

By: Cole Brodine

Cole Brodine — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:48:32 +0000

Why couldn’t a micro-usb do all the things an ipod connection can do? USB is just a fancy serial cable. If you want other devices to control your phone, mp3, pda, etc they could easily do that through a USB (regular, mini, or micro connection). The cable isn’t the thing you need to change, but the communication standard, so that accessory manufactures know what signals to send over the cable.

A cable standard is a great place to start, because now all phones will have a common way to charge, with the potential for data transfer.

As far as the wireless power goes, I would think that a lot of power would be wasted by sending it over the air. Also, it’s so much less expensive to put a wired connection to a device then a wireless connection. I’m guessing that lots of devices will hang on to the wired connection for much more then 3 years, just to help keep prices down. Things like Bluetooth headsets will probably stay wired for quite a while, until they can get the wireless power supplies small enough. Also, the wireless power really hasn’t standardized yet, so most manufactures will be reluctant to include something that might become obsolete. Nobody wants to be caught selling their fancy new device with a feature that could go the way of HD-DVD or Betamax.

Most of the above is just some observations of mine.

By: Felicia

Felicia — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:32:49 +0000

My husband and I usually have the same cel phone, so we end up with two chargers. We keep one in the house and the other one goes in the truck. We keep a power inverter in there, so we can always charge the phone if necessary. We never have to buy a car charger.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:23:27 +0000

This would be absolutely wonderful in my opinion. When choosing my next phone for me and my hubby, most of the time we get the same phone so we can share the 2 home chargers, and only have to buy one car charger to share. Car chargers can be expensive (around $20 for the reliable name brand) or $10 for an off brand from Wally-world that you don’t know if it will properly charge or not.

This becomes a very tiring and fustrating process, trying to find one phone that will fit two different people’s styles.

If my next phone upgrade uses the same chargers we have right now, I would be elated. But alas, it most likely won’t.

I love this idea!

By: Tabitha (From Single to Married)

Tabitha (From Single to Married) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:18:45 +0000

what would it be like to have just one charger? I’m constantly forgetting that my car charger for my iPod doesn’t work for my iPhone even though it fits. So frustrating!