To USB or not to USB

I have come to the conclusion that there are to many power cords in my life. Each item has their own power cord that is un-useable with any other device. Even mobile phones from the same manufacturer often can't use the same power adapter from a different model. All this adds up to is the consumer tangled in cords, tripping over cords and ever on the quest for the specific power cord for a particular device.

Can anything be done? You can be universal adapters but this requires you to shell out more of your hard earned cash to solve a manufacturers problem. At any rate the manufacturers regular change the plug size making the universal adapters not so universal. No, the problem must be solved at the design stage.

Many (if not most) devices have a USB port. And this is the solution. These USB ports need to become the means of charging our mobile devices. Now all one needs is a single USB hub with a power adapter (one cord), and multiple devices can be powered of this one hub. You might argue that power cords are being replaced by USB cords. But USB cords are also used to transfer data (multiple use so we still gain on eliminating one cord) and the hub can be design so that the USB cords retract into the hub eliminating lost and tangled cords.

A neat solution that can be easily implemented across a wide range of devices without requiring extensive re-design.

Anything to get rid of those damm power cords.

Tags: USB, mobility, mobile devices, power cords