European Community obtain agreement on a standard mobile device charger

As of as early as next year, we will finally be freed from the many individual chargers for mobile phones and other devices…

Under the agreement, manufacturers would start using micro-USB connectors for phone chargers used for smartphones. Apple joins other big cell phone makers including LG, Motorola, Nokia, Research In Motion, Samsung and Sony Ericsson in agreeing to the new standard. Chipset makers, such as NEC, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments have also agreed to the deal.

The agreement comes after talks between the phone companies and the European Commission, which threatened legislation to reduce waste if agreement was not reached.

The EC estimates that discarded chargers create “several thousand tons” of waste each year, but a common charger means users can continue using old chargers with new phones.

EU industry commissioner Günter Verheugen said he was pleased the agreement was reached on the basis of self-regulation.

“As a result, the commission does not consider it necessary to introduce legislation,” he said.

Apple, LG, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Research in Motion, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Texas Instruments signed a memorandum of understanding submitted to EC.

Consumer groups have welcomed the agreement, but have expressed disappointment that it is not international, but confined to the EU.

The agreement could help accelerate standardisation efforts by a GSMA-led alliance of 17 phone makers and mobile operators that includes five signatories of the EU agreement.

Along with LG, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, the alliance includes 3 Group, AT&T, KTF, mobilkom austria, Motorola, Orange, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telenor, Telstra, T-Mobile and Vodafone.

 

Source: Europe Press Release

If the EU would now also agree on a standard EU officials, we would be paying less taxes

New iPhone = mixed feelings

Everybody has been waiting for it, and when it’s finally here… well… ahum… yeah… it’s here.

The new iPhone has a couple of new features, such as video (and basic editing); it’s faster (yeah right), it has a compass (Arrr matey), it has voice control (“Call da bitch”), a search function (mmm yes) and… (drumroll) you can now send MMSses…

All this is very nice, but I got this “is this all ??” feeling.

Three things really strike me however:

Thing 1

It’s price !!!! 199 USD for the 32Gb model !!!! ???

I paid 625 EURO’s (No comments please )

Thing 2

Version 3.0 of the iPhone OS… Look Ma, I can finally copy & paste !

See also Gizmodo’s list

Thing 3

Oh, let’s not forget TomTom’s new turn-by-turn navigation software offcourse !

Straight from the WWC:

“Peter-Frans Pauwels, TomTom’s co-founder and CTO, demonstrated TomTom’s navigation software in combination with a specially designed car kit on the iPhone- during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on June 8th, 2009.

The TomTom solution combines two new TomTom products to provide users with state of the art in-car navigation on their iPhone 3G:

• The TomTom navigation application for iPhone; an Apple version of TomTom’s award-winning turn-by-turn navigation software, including IQ Routes and latest maps from Tele Atlas;
• The TomTom car kit for iPhone; a specially developed car kit for secure docking, enhanced GPS performance, clear voice instructions, hands-free calling and in-car charging.

The TomTom navigation application for iPhone will be available via the Apple iTunes App Store, following the release of Apple’s OS 3.0 operating system. Details regarding pricing and availability for both the application and the TomTom car kit for iPhone will be made available in advance of the products’ launch later this summer.”