Common ground  Mon, 08/09/2010 - 5:31am Alix Paultre, Editorial
Director  alix paultreI recently came across an interesting news
item in Wired  about how the EU was adopting the Universal
Charging Solution (UCS) cell-phone power interface. USB has been
a kind of power lingua franca for smart phones, but that
ubiquitous interface is burdened by a plethora of connector
styles. By standardizing on the Micro-USB interface we create a
more seamless and productive environment for the consumer to use
their cell phones, and more opportunity for the creation of
innovative products from the industry.  Consider what the market
presence of the iPod did for portable music devices and home
entertainment systems. Many third-party companies released very
innovative products that were only viable in a market with a
common device interface. The need to manufacture products that
have to have the interface flexibility to address multiple
connector and communication protocols often is a hurdle too high
for many. A common interfac