Wouldn’t it be nice if your mobile phone had a USB port so that you could grab your photos and ringtones and back-up your contacts? Sure, some of us are lucky enough to have such things on our phones. And some of us even have Bluetooth capable of the tasks. But for the vast majority of cellphones in America, the only way to get information on (or off) is through its carrier’s network (and expensive proposition), or via a proprietary cable, also expensive (if you can even find one, provided you know what to look for).
The USB Implementers Forum has come up with a new standard called Micro-USB, a standard for cellphones it hopes manufacturers adopt. Having one standard for all phones solves many obvious problems, but there’s no guarantee that mass adoption will happen. If accessory manufacturers start using it, though, it could drive handset makers in that direction, as with what happened with the first USB spec in the late ’90s.
The proposed port is actually smaller than the 4-pin mini-USB port most USB-enabled phones have, meaning smaller handsets with more capability, a combination we like.
Mobile phones to adopt new, smaller USB connector [Business Wire]