Standardized Cell Phone Chargers are on Their Way

Get a new cell phone. Get a new cell phone charger. And probably a new car charger, too, right?

It’s always seemed silly to me that all cell phones can’t use the same charger. Silly and wasteful. That may be changing. Bloomberg reports that mobile phone manufacturers and operators “will develop a standardized handset charger to save money and energy.”

The new chargers will use 50 percent less energy and cut the number made each year by half, lowering greenhouse gases from making and transporting them by 13.6 million tonnes to 21.8 million tonnes. So far, 17 companies are involved, including Hutchison Whampoa Ltd.’s 3 Group, AT&T Inc., Motorola Inc., France Telecom SA’s Orange, Qualcomm Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Telefonica SA and Deutsche Telekom AG’s T-Mobile.

Why has it taken so long for this idea to get implemented? It’s so simple. It’s so smart. It makes so much sense.

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According to GSMWorld, the target date for the chargers to be available is January 1, 2012. They call that date “ambitious.” While I wouldn’t call three years to create a charger “ambitious,” I’m not going to complain too much about it. It’s getting done and that’s the important part.

Aside from the obvious environmental advantages to having a universal charger, this will make things simpler all around. Hotels will be able to lend chargers to visitors who have forgotten theirs. I’ll be able to charge my phone at a friend’s house if need be. A lost charger will be easily replaceable.

This is a good idea, don’t you think?

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