The magazine, The Week, has a sidebar feature each week called “Boring, But Important.” I’d file this entry under that category, but I would rename it, “Small, But Important.” The U.N. International Telecommunications Union (ITU) just released a report that calls for setting a universal standard for phone chargers.
The ITU recommends phone manufacturers use the micro-USB charger. It’s compact and more importantly, energy efficient. Apparently if the manufacturers adopt this type of charger, the ITU expects a reduction of e-waste and the cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 13.6 million tons per year.
Manufacturers aren’t required to comply with the ITU recommendations, but several including Sony Ericsson, are making the change for their 2010 phone models.
Can you imagine a world where you don’t have a drawer full of chargers from phones you had 15 or even 5 years ago? What other technology tools to you wish had a universal plug/charger/adapter?