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Nokia Magnetic Mobile Port Concept Mimics Apple's MagSafe Ports
Posted by Charlie White at 7:50 AM on December 20, 2007
Nokia is thinking about making its charging and headset ports magnetic, just like Apple's MagSafe ports on its laptops. Nokia users are well aware that the headset and charging ports on their phones are quite similar. The beauty of this idea is that there is a negative magnetic polarity on one of the ports and a positive polarity on the other, making it impossible to plug the wrong plug into the inappropriate jack. Great idea, and maybe a way to get to that "one plug fits all" idea I was ranting about yesterday. [Cellpassion, via MobileWhack]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
thefastest
Posted 5:16 PM 19/12/07
@terranaut: maybe the apple laptop's magnetic plug system is more common knowledge than your Hamilton Beach deep fat fryer. just a thought
thefastest
thefastest
Posted 5:15 PM 19/12/07
@CubFan81: Very good point. I lost my car ipod charger due to cord damage and my car cell phone charger is heading the same direction.
thefastest
terranaut
Posted 5:15 PM 19/12/07
Why is it x copies Apple with y, etc...
My Hamilton Beach deep fat fryer has had a magnetically retained power cord before Apple put it on their notebooks.
terranaut
thefastest
Posted 5:14 PM 19/12/07
@jawzxy: Do you run wires across a room or something to charge the phone? Another point, i wonder how strong these magnets are. They'd have to be strong enough to not fall out on their own, but weak enough that when you trip on the wire the phone doesn't go flying. Keep in mind how light cell phones are compared to laptops, it takes MUCH less force to send that cell phone flying. Seems like this is just for convenience, not really safety of any devices.
thefastest
CubFan81
Posted 5:14 PM 19/12/07
@thefastest: It might not be entirely about tripping but maybe cord damage. I know people who hadn't properly pushed the release snaps on the charger and pulled. The charging mechanism catch just busted and from then on the slightest touch and the charger stopped charging. This way even if your phone is charging, you could literally just grab it on your way out the door.
CubFan81
jawzxy
Posted 5:08 PM 19/12/07
Yay magnets!
@thefastest: I trip over my handset charging, thus sending it flying and causing me to worry if I've damaged the device, at least once a week.
jawzxy
thefastest
Posted 4:49 PM 19/12/07
i'm curious why they'd even bother with this. the laptop one makes sense, where you don't want your laptop going flying when its plugged in on your lap and someone trips on the cord. how often do people trip over cell phone charger/headset wires?
thefastest
loadedthorn
Posted 4:40 PM 19/12/07
Probably not, breakaway power cables have been around - Apple just has a design patent on MagSafe. Nokia should be able to get this one through, especially with the inventive step opposite poles on the same device.
loadedthorn
Noobs-R-Us
Posted 4:34 PM 19/12/07
lawsuit?
Noobs-R-Us
thefastest
Posted 6:30 PM 19/12/07
@theorie: and marked it amazingly
thefastest
theorie
Posted 6:00 PM 19/12/07
i think it's funny how apple fanboys always think that apple is the original creator for many features that are associated with apple products - when in reality, apple has simply taken the ideas from other lesser known products, painted them white & applied an apple logo. haha
theorie
Palestina
Posted 7:32 PM 19/12/07
oh no another charger type? Cut this sh*t man...
Palestina
prodigal_son
Posted 7:46 PM 19/12/07
@thefastest: I think its so you dont jam your headphones into the power socket or the power cord into your headphone socket by accident. The power one will push the headphone connection away, and vice versa.
Apple use similar idea to stop the laptop from being pulled off your lap, but this is to stop you from actually damaging the ports.
No one is gonna jam the power cord of a mac into the headphone socket, well i hope they wouldnt.. but it can easily happen on a phone, with a bit of alcohol in the system and the lights out.
prodigal_son
Wwhat
Posted 3:31 AM 20/12/07
Put your phone in your pocket and wipe your CC, fun!
Or have quarters dangling from it when you take it out, or your carkeys.
Or have metal bits get lodged in it causing a short when you try to plug it in the charger.
Phones just get around more than macs I'm figuring.
Wwhat
TheRealChip
Posted 8:43 AM 20/12/07
I urge everyone to revolt against the charger-type of the week. 2007 I took my stand against non-mini-USB connectors. If it didn't have mini-USB, I didn't buy it. So in 2007 I bought Sprint Mogul cellphone, then Sprint Touch, HOLUX M-1200 GPS receiver, Moto H700 Bluetooth headset.
I had also bought the Blueant Z9 headset since it said it had a mini USB connector and it's specs rock. The stupid thing doesnt' have mini-USB, it's a small USB port but not the standard mini-USB. Back to BestBuy it went.
TheRealChip
perros
Posted 8:02 AM 20/12/07
@Palestina: I'm completely with you on that! Surely Mini-USB is the way to go. Can charge and do data connections. (Headsets should be bluetooth or standard 3.5mm jack).
There is no confusion or chance of plugging the wrong cable in that way.
Magnetic locks are fine, until you pull it out of your pocket with all your spare change attached.
-Perros-
perros