We suspected this was going to happen and we might see the universal phone charger standard appear sooner then we think. The International Telecommunication Union, which is a branch of the UN, has approved the microUSB as a future universal phone charger.

Why does the UN care about phone chargers? It all comes down to waste and pollution. A universal charger would save 51,000 tons of waste if it were already in use. That’s why the UN cares so much about the charging standard. Unfortunately the universal charging solution will fully be adopted by 2012 which means that we’re looking at even more unnecessary waste that could have been avoided! At least we’re hoping that by that time most carriers and cell phone makers out there will switch to the UCS.

via Reuters

Tags: Accessories, International Telecommunication Union, microusb, Mobile News, UCS, UN, universal charger solution

Nokia has recently released some details on the successor to the 6600 slide, the appropriately named 6600i slide.

Don’t expect anything too amazing out of this phone as it’s clearly marketed towards the budget crowd with its $272 price tag before subsidies.

Depsite its low price tag this phone packs quite a punch:

- 3G connectivity
- 2.2″ QVGA display
- 5MP camera
- Bluetooth 2.0, microUSB
- Accelerometer
- FM tuner
- 11100 mAh battery/3-4 hr talk time, 14.5 days stand-by
- Black and silver finishes

Nokia says that the 6600i slide will be available sometime in Q3 this year.

Tags: 3G, 6600i, accelerometer, bluetooth, Cell Phones, fm tuner, microusb, Mobile News, Nokia, Slide