[pavvento]

I searched through some of the videos but didn't hear it mentioned. Will the charger be a standard cable, or will it be proprietary. I remember having a Razr back in the day and although I had plenty of cables that 'fit' none of them could charge the phone because it wasn't a motorola cable.

I plan on picking up a few cheap cables to keep in places I'd have to charge but wanted to know what you guys thought.

[Gekko]

standard microUSB.

[Eguy]

I guess it would have killed them to use a miniUSB... Had to buy all new cables. Probably the same BS as the SD card; "Not enough room."

[ImmaSlave4U]

Anyone know if the charger that comes with the Samsung Instinct is a standard microUSB? I think it is...

[Eguy]

Anyone know if the charger that comes with the Samsung Instinct is a standard microUSB? I think it is...

I think it is proprietary Samsung...

[mikejaret]

as per the microusb cables for the computer...those are standard

as per the actual travel charger, every phone company uses differant amperage so the actual charger will be differant...DO NOT USE YOUR BBERRY MICROUSB CHARGER TO CHARGE UR PRE!

[ImmaSlave4U]

I think it is proprietary Samsung...

Ah, okay. I was able to charge my friends Samsung Propel w/ my Samsung Instinct charger...and since the size is similar I thought it was standard MicroUSB.

as per the actual travel charger, every phone company uses differant amperage so the actual charger will be differant.

Good to know. I won't use my Instinct charger on my Pre, even if it fits...just to be safe.

[Eguy]

as per the microusb cables for the computer...those are standard

as per the actual travel charger, every phone company uses differant amperage so the actual charger will be differant...DO NOT USE YOUR BBERRY MICROUSB CHARGER TO CHARGE UR PRE!

I am pretty sure that all usb devices use 5V power...

[cary328is]

Yes - all USB chargers use +5V but may have different amperage ratings. Just to be safe check the amp rating on the Pre's charger first and if you're not sure about another brand (similar micro-USB plug) just be sure you're using equal or higher AMP rating as the Pre's OEM charger.

[disc]

every phone company uses differant amperage so the actual charger will be differant...DO NOT USE YOUR BBERRY MICROUSB CHARGER TO CHARGE UR PRE!

The current draw is dictated by the source voltage and the device resistance; your phone (or toothbrush, electric shaver, etc.) will only draw the current that it needs.

You do need to be careful to that the charger is capable of supplying the amps your device needs, but as long as the source voltage is correct, and the charger has a current rating equal to or greater than your device needs, it's fine to charge from it (assuming it has the right connector/pinouts, which is a whole 'nother issue.)

Anecdotal evidence: My wall charger died, so I use my rechargeable battery wall-wort to supply my car charger with 12V (my commute isn't long enough to charge my phone.)

[DougB541]

I guess it would have killed them to use a miniUSB... Had to buy all new cables. Probably the same BS as the SD card; "Not enough room."

Miniusb is the next standard across many of the phone manufactures so I last read.

[beret9987]

I guess it would have killed them to use a miniUSB... Had to buy all new cables. Probably the same BS as the SD card; "Not enough room."

Tell me about it. I wouldn't of minded a little bit longer device to fit some extra stuff in. Like a microSD slot... I know I'm beating a dead horse but I've come to expect memory expansion on all non-Apple phones :P

[haydur]

You can buy a Mini to Micro USB Converter adapter on eBay for less than $5 (with shipping)...

[Eguy]

You can buy a Mini to Micro USB Converter adapter on eBay for less than $5 (with shipping)...

Sure we can, but the simple fact is: we should not keep having to buy new cables when ever they decide to change the form factor of the cables, its just another way to steal our money .

[jhoff80]

Sure we can, but the simple fact is: we should not keep having to buy new cables when ever they decide to change the form factor of the cables, its just another way to steal our money .

Like it or not, the phone industry is standardizing on microUSB. The good news is it'll probably be that for the foreseeable future.

[Kyusaku]

Anything is better than the proprietary Treo plugs. The one on my car charger doesn't stay in anymore because the metal clips broke off the connector

[cary328is]

^ Yeah I hate the current Treo charger. That is one crappy contact design. I'm so glad they decided to go with microUSB. Although, one proprietary device power connection I'm very impressed with is the magnetic contacts of the current Apple Macbooks.

[dbmgreen]

Micro USB

the use of Micro USB was driven by China. There are some good threads on this in the TreoPro forum.

Mobile Industry Unites to Drive Universal Charging Solution for Mobile Phones

17 February 2009, Barcelona, Spain

The GSMA and 17 leading mobile operators and manufacturers today announced that they are committed to implementing a cross-industry standard for a universal charger for new mobile phones. The aim of the initiative, led by the GSMA, is to ensure that the mobile industry adopts a common format for mobile phone charger connections and energy-efficient chargers resulting in an estimated 50 per cent reduction in standby energy consumption, the potential elimination of up to 51,000 tonnes of duplicate chargers1 and the enhancement of the customer experience by simplifying the charging of mobile phones.

[ToniCipriani]

as per the microusb cables for the computer...those are standard

as per the actual travel charger, every phone company uses differant amperage so the actual charger will be differant...DO NOT USE YOUR BBERRY MICROUSB CHARGER TO CHARGE UR PRE!

Amp refers to the current the adapter is able to supply. As long as the voltage is within tolerance there are no issues. Lower current means the device will charge slower. Do you know back then in the early days of phones when there were "slow" chargers and "rapid" chargers, that was exactly what it is.

[Centro85#AC]

as per the microusb cables for the computer...those are standard

as per the actual travel charger, every phone company uses differant amperage so the actual charger will be differant...DO NOT USE YOUR BBERRY MICROUSB CHARGER TO CHARGE UR PRE!

Just because your phone uses (just a random example) 35 amps on 5V, and the charger puts out 45 amps on 5V does NOT mean your device is going to use the entire 45 amps. Electricity doesn't really work that way. If it did, your cars electronics would be MUCH more complex, and probably have more than one battery...

I have used a BB Storm car charger on my pro for 30 minutes (emergency charge) without problem, and I plan on holding on to my Treo Pro car charger/wall charger until I can pick up one of the Pre's fancy sync cable/car charger adapter and touchstone.

Edit: As was said below, you do want to make sure the charger has ENOUGH power to actually charge the phone. Also, you want to make sure the voltage is correct. You don't want to use a 7 or 10 V charger on a 5 V phone, but amperage is not an issue (as long as you have enough). disc explained it much better than I can, I just wanted to add my experience with the BB charger on the Pro.

The current draw is dictated by the source voltage and the device resistance; your phone (or toothbrush, electric shaver, etc.) will only draw the current that it needs.

You do need to be careful to that the charger is capable of supplying the amps your device needs, but as long as the source voltage is correct, and the charger has a current rating equal to or greater than your device needs, it's fine to charge from it (assuming it has the right connector/pinouts, which is a whole 'nother issue.)

Anecdotal evidence: My wall charger died, so I use my rechargeable battery wall-wort to supply my car charger with 12V (my commute isn't long enough to charge my phone.)