Finally, the universal mobile charger

Major mobile phone makers have announced they will work to produce a standard charger for all new products, in an attempt to save consumers money and reduce wastage.

The companies, including Nokia, Motorola and Samsung, have all agreed to adopt a “mini USB” charging format that will be used on all new mobile phones. Currently, different manufacturers use different chargers.

Michael O’Hara, marketing director for industry body the GSM Association, says the decision will go a long way to reducing the amount of wasted products.

“This is a broad agreement that will move the industry to a single, energy-efficient charger for all mobile phones. The target is that the majority of mobile phones shipped by 2012 will support this new interface.”