There are so many cell phone manufacturers, and each one seems to have a different-sized plug needed to charge up its phones. Now five of the world's biggest cell phone manufacturers have finally decided on a standard plug size for cell phone chargers. Nokia, LG, Samsung, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson are among the first companies to subscribe to the standard, with the other smaller manufacturers expected to soon follow.

The bad news? That standard size is an uncommon plug known as Micro USB, slightly smaller than the ubiquitous Mini USB plugs. The manufacturers probably picked that smaller size because of the steadily diminishing cross-sections of many of today's ultra-thin cell phones. Now if the same standardization would happen with laptop charger plugs, our world would get just a bit less complicated. — Charlie White

Gear Log, via Ubergizmo