This time next year, a lot of consumers will have less of a headache when they get a new cellphone. The Open Mobile Terminal Platform group has set a new standard for charging mobile phones and most of the big names are on board. Sony-Ericsson, Nokia, LG, Samsung and Motorola (no Kyocera or RIM?) will all be implementing Micro USB charging into future phones. BoingBoing has details on the standard:

owever, [telecom analyst Dean Bubley] also suggested that having a standard connector might be in manufacturers’ best interests due to environmental reasons. The EU’s WEEE directive makes manufacturers responsible for some of the costs associated with recycling their equipment, and a broadly applied standard could remove the need for a new charger to be distributed with every phone or accessory.
“This is cheaper to the manufacturer, and also results in a smaller, less heavy box, which reduces on shipping costs, storage costs, warehouse costs and so on,” Bubley said. “It has got to have beneficial effects for everyone.”

I’m sure everyone is breathing a sigh of relief, knowing they can travel and will most likely have access to a phone charger no matter the location. Plus, if you’re on a plane or somewhere without access to power, you can charge via the USB ports on your laptop. It’s a shame this took years to settle, as it could have saved everyone a lot of hassle by now.

Phone Manufacturers Settle on Micro-USB Charging Standard [Boing Boing]