The European Union announced that ten mobile phone manufacturers, including Apple, Motorola, Nokia, Research in Motion, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson, have agreed to support a universal charger for their devices. The new standard, which specifies the micro USB connector, also calls for a new generation of chargers that reduce energy consumption and are more efficient.

–David Goldes is a Contributing Editor at Executive Road Warrior and President and Senior Analyst at Basex, a knowledge economy research firm.