European Commission launches the common mobile charger

THE LONG-AWAITED and much needed common mobile phone charger is almost upon us, as the European Commission (EC) has approved the use of the Micro USB interface.

The charger model got the Brussels seal of approval at a press conference that featured the EC's vice president, Antonio Tajani and Digital Europe director general, Bridget Cosgrave, both of whom said it is a major move forward for the mobile phone industry. Never mind all that space that it will free up in cable drawers and laptop bags.

"The new European common charger is a major achievement for industry that will deliver benefits to millions of European mobile phone users," explained Cosgrave. "Consumers can now safely use a single charger with phones from various suppliers."

The EC worked closely with the mobile phone industry in the development of the charger, which is great as otherwise they could have come up with anything. Fourteen companies were involved and have signed a voluntary agreement to produce or use the resulting product.

"With the launch of this common charger, we can diminish the need for different chargers on the market as consumers will be able to re-use their chargers with future products," said head-of-nail hitter Cosgrave. "This should help reduce electronic waste in the future and reduce the impact on the environment."

The companies supporting the charger are Apple, Atmel Emblaze Mobile, Huawei Technologies, LGE, Motorola Mobility, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Research In Motion (RIM), Samsung, Sony Ericsson, TCT Mobile, and Texas Instruments. µ