[photopress:it_adapters_1.jpg,full,alignright]This is personal. Also biased. I am writing this on a laptop. I have just counted the number of plugs and transformers I have to carry for my computer and my mobile and the Lord knows what else and it comes to eight. Which is damn ridiculous. Which is why I am a fervent supporter of the Chinese government’s idea of standardization using a USB sockets.
According to a new survey conducted by Synovate for Green Plug, respondents are sick and tired of carrying around many chargers for their different electronic devices and want a greener alternative. Damn right.
More than 60% of American consumers surveyed regard the status quo in consumer electronics as ‘wasteful’ or ‘frustrating.’
Damn right again.
Frank Paniagua, Jr., CEO and founder of Green Plug said, ‘I took nine chargers with me for a three night stay in Chicago and I said, “this is crazy,” I am sick of nine chargers and who isn’t sick of how they charge their devices.’
He quoted a Gartner study that noted about 2.8 billion of these power adapters were built last year and an estimated 3.2 billion will be built this year.
To solve the power adapter problem, Paniagua and Green Plug are advocating a new way for DC appliances to be charged through following China’s lead. He explained that China has standardized on mini-USBs to charge their cell phones and PDAs.
Frank Paniagua, Jr. said, ‘Mini-USBs were not meant to be a charging standard but what we’ve done is taken that and designed a hybrid that will charge up to 150-watts.’
He further explained that this hub would be backwards compatible and know what device is plugged into it and supply the appropriate amount of power and can be programmed to re-charge devices after hours. As well, once the device is fully charged it will shut the power off and quell stand-by power.
I will buy one.
These plugs come as small as three ports for three devices to 10 ports for 10 devices, thus reducing the amount of chargers needed to be carried around.
He hopes in the future to have establishments like coffee shops, airports and hotels provide these hubs so that customers don’t have to bring their power chargers with them but just plug their device into one of these hubs.
So do it.
[photopress:it_adapters_2.jpg,full,alignleft]To demonstrate consumers’ desire for change, Green Plug has also launched a national petition drive calling on Washington to support a universal green power standard — a standard that would enable U.S. manufacturers to remain competitive in consumer electronics and save energy while preventing millions of toxic power supplies from being buried at landfills every year. Where China leads can the USA follow. Let us hope so.
It will relieve my aching back
Source: ConnectIT