The ToyBox

Ricardo Bilton & Gloria Sin

Europe to have one cell phone charger to rule them all

By | August 6, 2010, 8:34am PDT

Summary: If there’s one accessory every cell phone owner needs, it’s a power charger. But what happens if you forget it or lose it? The European Commission thinks things should be simpler, and now the continent will be getting a single charger compatible with nearly every handheld. 10 major cell phone developers have already signed on to the [...]

If there’s one accessory every cell phone owner needs, it’s a power charger. But what happens if you forget it or lose it? The European Commission thinks things should be simpler, and now the continent will be getting a single charger compatible with nearly every handheld.

10 major cell phone developers have already signed on to the project, including four of the biggest players: Apple, Motorola, Samsung and Research In Motion. Expected to drop in 2011, a universal charger would mean that not every new phone would need to ship with a power accessory. Not only does that save on materials and make the industry a little greener, but it has the potential of lowering prices.

Unfortunately, there isn’t anything concrete on the horizon for U.S. consumers. Although, if these companies have to design their mobile phones to fall in line with this new E.U. regulation, it is likely to have some impact stateside as well thanks to models that will be sold in both markets.

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Rachel King is a staff writer for ZDNet based in San Francisco.

Disclosure

Rachel King

Rachel King has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted in this blog.

Biography

Rachel King

Rachel King is a staff writer for CBS Interactive in San Francisco. Before serving as a contributing editor at ZDNet in New York City for two years, she previously worked for The Business Insider, FastCompany.com, CNN's San Francisco bureau and the U.S. Department of State. Rachel has also written for MainStreet.com, Irish America Magazine and the New York Daily News, among others. Rachel has a B.A. in Mass Communications and History from the University of California, Berkeley and a M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University, where she served as art director for the student magazine, Plated.

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