One phone charger to charge them all
Top phone makers have agreed to back EU plans for harmonisation of
phone chargers, and the EC is hailing the effort as good news for
consumers and mother earth.
This basically means phones will use a single, standardized charger,
and that you won't have to throw away your charger once your old phone
dies. Obviously, some vendors will start selling phones without
chargers, saving you a few pennies in the process, not to mention a
couple of cubic inches at your local landfill.
It is estimated that there are currently around 400 million mobile
phones in Europe, and a further 185 million are bought each year.
Vendors are expected to start using the new, compatible chargers next
year.
It's unclear why it took the industry more than a decade to realize
that this is the way to go. The late Douglas Adams had similar ideas ages ago, as you can see
here.