http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/02/m ... ustry.html

Several mobile phone companies on Tuesday announced a plan to adopt a universal cellphone charger, making it possible, at long last, for consumers to get rid of the tangle of incompatible old chargers filling up the bottom drawer of their desks.



About time! It's always a pain to be visiting someone, not have a charger and have your phone run out of juice. Who's your providers? Did you ever have verizon? Only AT&T and Sprint? Damn it!

I'm all for standards, but not if it limits design.

i cant remember the last phone i had that didn't charge via usb

They don't mean "charging" via usb -- they mean using the standard mini-usb connection.

My iphone charges via usb, but it certainly doesn't take a standard usb cable.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

If it charges via USB, why would it not take a USB cable? That makes no sense. On my gPhone, everything is done via USB. Charge, connection to PCs, headphones, etc.

iphones take "standard" ipod cables with the dock connector.

lg phones generally use proprietary connectors too.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

You're only thinking of the plug that goes into the computer end, Sky.

On the end that goes into the phone, there's like 50 different shapes and sizes it seems.

Mine is just a standard USB cable, much like the Blackberry I used for a couple years.

we understand that.

do you not understand that the VAST majority of cell phones that even were able to connect via usb have, and have had, proprietary plugs even across the same brand? (Nokia, LG, Samsung and Sony/Ericsson are really bad about this) One end = USB, other end = proprietary.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Here's a mini-usb:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6812270122

and here's a micro-usb:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6812816066

They look similar but are a slightly different shape and are incompatible. And there are even variances among mini- and micro- cables from different manufacturers.

Also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini_usb#Mini_and_micro

I don't care about that Vanamar, I'm saying that I can't remember the last time I've had a phone that didn't use the same fucking mini-USB plug I just showed you. What the fuck are you talking about? Are you trying to prove me wrong, when I'm right?

I said exactly what I meant, I charge via mini-USB on my G1 and my Blackberry, and you were like, "Wah they don't mean charging via USB" which is exactly what they fucking mean. They want a standard universal port, and I meant that mini-USB is about as standard as you can get, and that's what my past 3 phones have used.

My past 3 phone cables have never had "proprietary other ends" -- they're simply standard USB cables or an AC Adapter with a mini-USB on the phone end.

Jesus Fucking Christ.



What the fuck are you talking about? I'm talking about the phone end. I know there are proprietary cables like the Iphone but phones that aren't pieces of shit (like the Iphone is) generally allow you to use a standard USB connection for charging, connecting to computers, and whatever else you would need them for.

I heard this yesterday, and I all I had to say was ABOUT FUCKING TIME.

Selling cell phones for the past 10 years has been nothing but a fucking bitch when it comes to the chargers and trying to keep the right ones in stock. I have a huge box full of obsolete shit because they keep changing the cords every fucking other fucking month.

And putting up with fucking customers coming in with some piece of shit crap they picked up from some other store and have the nerve to whine to you because you don't have their brand of fucking charger in stock.

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No, they don't sky.

The VAST majority of phones on the market don't use mini or even micro usb connectors. Motorola, Blackberry and HTC phones were the only ones. Hell, even the vast majority of smartphones use proprietary connectors for the phone end.

And I never once said a phone couldn't "charge" over usb, I said the cable connections were all proprietary. If a phone has a data cable, it can charge over it, end of story. the only question is the connector.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

well, it looks like LG has at least moved to micro-usb at least for the Dare. Samsung is using the same proprietary connection on all of it's phones from the Blackjack to the Instinct, and Nokia still has a wide array of proprietary connections based on phone model.

Motorola still leads the pack though, since even their bluetooth headsets use a mini-usb plug to charge (too bad you can't use them as wired headsets with a usb cable, that would be hot)

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

The picture of the phone you linked btw Sky isn't a mini-USB! Proprietary connections yay! (Unless of course that was a prototype that Engadget took a picture of with a strange USB connection)

the motorola razr, kazr, rkor, w385 and the blackberry's use the mini-usb connector, but get this, the motorola razr 2 I just got in has a brand new connector I have never seen before, fucking cocksuckers

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Get off my Lawn alliance

It's called micro-USB which is what this post is about, that's what they are all moving towards.

Apple should use microUSB.

They *should* -- they won't.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

That's the g1 in the engaget picture and i assure you it's a regular USB cable.

Yeah the G1 uses regualy mini usb. Stupid battery life!

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That's not a standard mini USB plug on the G1 (or on other newer HTC phones). Yes, you can use a standard mini USB to charge and sync, but their setup also includes audio.

I have a Motorola QA30 and it uses the micro USB too. It's about time that there was a standard.

And as was pointed out, not all mini USB's work the same. The mini USB charger for my old blackberry will not charge my old Razr. Same connection, but will not work. Guessing it's different amps or voltage. IDK

razr's are special phones, depending on the provider. verizon locked theirs down a good bit for a LONG time, preventing anything USB from working without hacking the phone or buying motorola's software.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Wish Nintendo would pay attention to this. If the new DS changes plugs again I'll kill them.

thanks for clearing that up, will order in these new micro USB's and hope thats the last type I have to get ever!

seems that explains the plug in the newer kyocera phones that 3 of my suppliers were clueless about the plug type

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Get off my Lawn alliance