Apple, Other Manufacturers Agree on Mobile Phone Charger Standard

From DailyTech: The European Commission proudly announced a handful of top mobile phone manufacturers have agreed to a European Union (EU) mandate for universal cell phone chargers.

Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Apple, and other handset manufacturers are expected to begin offering the universal charging units beginning in 2010 to European consumers. Research in Motion (RIM) and other manufacturers are expected to also utilize universal chargers, with manufacturer announcements expected in the future.

The universal charger will replace around 30 individual chargers, and will only work on European models of cell phones, the EU said in a statement.

"It's a small thing, but a big issue for the consumer," Omio.com analyst Ernest Doku said during an interview with the Times Online. "It was simply a foolish situation. But phone makers wanted to have their own technology for each phone to stay a step ahead. It's good for the manufacturers to swallow their pride, as this will be for the end user's benefit."

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