On Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:11:07 -0800, "William Sommerwerck"
wrote:

It's unfortunate there are no standardized rechargeable battery packs for
portable devices. This might have been doable when they were powered by AA
and C cells, but modern devices are so small, and the battery is so tightly
mechanically integrated, it isn't possible.

There's a reason why nobody standardizes on battery packs. Battery
packs are a major profit center. It's the razor blade model. Give
away the razors, and sell lots of blades. For example, Motorola makes
it policy of requiring a new battery, microphone, antenna, charger,
and other accessories with every new model handheld radio and cell
phone. Even models that are very similar, have intentional lumps and
holes to make the previous generation of accessories incompatible.
Same with some HP LaserJet cartridges.

There's some hope with the ITU standardizing on the microUSB battery
charger connector for portable devices:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Mobile_Terminal_Platform
http://www.wacapps.net
which are slowly being "embraced", which is doublespeak for being
shoved down the manufacturers throats by various regulatory agencies.

Way back in the early 1990's, there was some effort to standardize on
a single laptop battery. Mallory and others invented a ten C cell
package that just slid into the side of the laptop. It was popular
for a short while, until laptops shrank below the size where it would
fit. Nice try.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558