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Finally a standard for mobile connection plugs! But it is not the de facto standard mini-USB but the rarer Micro-USB.
Standard for mobile connection plugs soon
September 25, 2007
A standardising forum, where the five largest mobile manufacturers, Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and LG are members, has decided on using a standard connection plug for mobile phones. The plug will be a micro-USB plug, and it should be used for charging and headsets, as well as for connecting to computers.
It is the standards forum OMTP, Open Mobile Terminal Platform that has given this recommendation and the forum has wide industry support. If the standard breaks through it would mean that accessories for a phone from one phone manufacturer will work together with mobile phones from other manufacturers.
It also means that one can use the same charger no matter which brand of mobile phone is used, which in turn might lead to less expensive mobile phones, if the chargers were to be sold separately. In addition, it lowers the amount of electronic waste in the shape of fully functional mobile chargers and peripherals that are thrown away. For the mobile industry it thereby becomes a way to show that it cares about the environment.
Simple but effective
- The OMTP's work to bring consensus for what is such a simple yet significant recommendation will have wide reaching benefit. 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, comments Markku Verkama, head of product planning at Nokia's platform unit.
Since June, China already demands all chargers in the country to have standard USB chargers. The OMTP standard is thereby fully compatible with the Chinese demands.
The election of micro USB as connection plug standard is a bit controversial, when the mini USB already become quite established as a de facto standard, while micro-USB only is used in a small number of Motorola and Samsung phones. OMTP motivates its choice by stating that the micro USB has an even thinner contact, which makes miniaturization easier. In any case, it means we will have to get rid of our accessories, however this time maybe for the last time.
(the pedagogical image has been borrowed from Gizmodo.com)
By:
Elias Nordling, Jonas Kämpe
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About the editor
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Consultant in business strategy and ITC. Covers internet and mobile media as writer and editor.
Jonas Kämpe
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