POWER HUNGRY GADGET FANS will soon be using just one charger to power all their tablets, netbooks and digital cameras as well as their mobile phones.
The plans for a single, standard phone charger are already well advanced, and the ITU has now altered the specification to include some of the gadgets that have won hearts, minds and pockets since its inception in 2009.
In a statement the ITU described its standard as being a one-size fits all charging solution - which is a maddening phrase. However, it is less maddening than the under desk cable orgy that a range of modern hardware creates.
Fortunately then, the ITU added, its standard means that it will no longer be necessary for every single, blooming piece of equipment to come with another power brick and mains cord.
"Other standards claim to be universal and energy efficient, but only ITU's solution is truly universal and a real step forward in addressing environmental and climate change issues. This updated standard will bring the benefits of the universal charger to a wider range of devices and consumers," said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré.
"I am sure it will be welcomed by all ITU's membership - 192 governments and over 700 private sector entities. The environmental impact of wide adoption will be enormous. This major improvement on the standard agreed first in 2009 shows how fast ITU can respond to the rapidly changing market demand."
The new one charger to charge them all includes a detachable cable and a range of standardised end connectors. The ITI said that these will work on MP3/MP4 players, tablet computers, cameras, wireless headphones and GPS devices not only as a charger, but also for data transfer.
The ITU expects that billions of the chargers will be released into the market in the next couple of years, and it added that this should lead to less environmental impact. What impact on the environment the binning of the billions of old style chargers will have seems to be lost on it.
However, continuing its green ambitions, the ITU added that the chargers will use eco-friendly materials and will come with advice such as the suggestion that they be turned off when not in use. µ
Source: theINQUIRER.net
