How many gadgets do you own? Count in your mobile phones, your mp3 players, your cameras, your tablets, and your laptops. The chances are that you have more than two gadgets in your arsenal, and you know very well just how inconvenient it can be to have to figure out where the appropriate chargers are at any given time. You may have a specific location at home where you keep them, but all those cables and connectors can still be a pain – not to mention the issues when you are on the road.

That’s where universal chargers come in handy, as they do what it says on the tin – charge various gadgets, doing away with the need for a single different charger for each device. In 2009, the International Telecommunications Union, or ITU, specified standards for a universal charger. While the word universal has been tacked on to the term, the standards still left out provisions for certain gadgets. If you think about it, you can’t really blame them. With all the gadgets available in the market, it might just be difficult to cover everything in a single device.

This week, though, the ITU has taken a big step forward by changing the specifications for the universal charger. This time around, it just might be truly universal!

The charger is now supposed to be used for various mobile phones PLUS mp3 and mp4 players, as well as cameras. Not only that, but other devices such as tablet computers, wireless headphones, GPS units, and other gadgets will also be taken into consideration.

This change is being made possible by equipping the universal charger with a power adaptor, a detachable cable with both USB and micro-USB connectors. More than being used for charging, this device can also be used for transferring data.

Simple yet brilliant, but there is still one thing that’s bothering me – what about those manufacturers who insist on using their own patented connectors for their devices? Can’t they be “asked” to conform to standard connectors as well?

Via ZDNet