UPDATE: Engadget is reporting micro-USB vs. the BBC’s mini-USB. Also, that Apple, among others, is backing the standard.

ORIGINAL: We’ve discussed this before, but now it looks like Europe has gone ahead and done it. Mini-USB is going to be the “one size fits all” universal charging standard for phones. The caveat:

The deal isn’t legally binding though and, at this stage, is only voluntary.

Translation: Apple’s 30-pin dock connector likely isn’t going any place, any time soon.

Are we happy about this? Are we wondering why it wasn’t micro-USB? Or do we really not care one way or another about it at this point?

[via the BBC, thanks sambell for the tip!]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

UPDATED: European Union: One Phone Charger Shall Rule them All

The Case-Mate Dockster Leather Case for iPhone 3G is available and can be purchased in TiPb Store for $34.95. If you are looking for a case that is slim and dockable, then this case might be for you. Let’s see how it measures up after the break!

Design

Daily Use

Placing the case on your iPhone could not be any easier; simply slide the top end on, then slide the bottom end. There are no buttons to snap, no clips to latch; they just slide together easily. Once the two pieces of the car are together, they are secure. I did not have to worry about one side slipping or falling off. The other benefit of this case is it adds a little extra grip too without become too think. The leather feels really nice in your hands and solid plastic frame adds piece of mind if it is dropped.

Docking the iPhone is easy, simply slip off the bottom end and yo are in business. I was very surprised at how easy it was to do.

Conclusion

Pros:

• It is dockable!
• Attractive leather finish
• Sturdy plastic supportive frame
• Thin
• All ports are very easily accessible

Cons:

• I really can’t find any pertinent negatives with this case
• A variety of colors, currently black-only

TiPb’s Rating:

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Review: The Case-Mate Dockster Leather Case for iPhone 3G

Apple patents are strange and mysterious things. Like sums over futures, they give us a peek at thousands of strands of potentiality, but no clue about eventuality. In other words, Apple patents tons of stuff, most of which we never see in actual consumer products. Some of these, however, are pretty interesting looking. The Register says:

One of the applications describes a “host machine” – looking much like an iMac in the accompanying drawings – that has battery-charging slots built into its body.

A second describes how the host machine could communicate wirelessly with mobile devices to monitor their battery power, notify users when it was time for a charge, and talk with other host machines about the state of the batteries it’s servicing.

A third describes a “intelligent universal rechargeable batteries” with pop-off end-caps that allow “battery chemicals” to be swapped out when they’ve reached the end of their productive lives.

The Black&Decker approach of one-battery-to-charge-them-all seems so un-Apple, but it would be convenient to a large segment of handy consumers. TiPb also recalls a previous patent that showed a MacBook docking into an iMac, so why not go from broke, Apple, and give us the iPhone to MacBook to iMac “Russian Doll” gadget? Check out the full article, linked above, for all the details, and let us know which, if any, tempt you.

(Thanks to Phil, news editor over at sibling site WMExperts for the tip!)

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Patent Watch: iPhone Dock and Battery Swaps?

Peeved that your iPhone 3G didn’t come with a dock? Annoyed that the dock is just too, plain? Well, if you want to add some color, creativity, and character, there probably isn’t anything better than a Steve Jobs Dock! The detail is amazing, the color is accurate, and the Steve Jobs Keynote pose is downright hilarious. Not to mention, it’s a bobblehead that works with both original iPhone and the iPhone 3G.

What would be even cooler is if you could rig Steve Jobs the Bobblehead to say “Boom” every time you insert your iPhone into the dock.

ReadVia

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A Steve Jobs Endorsed iPhone Dock

The iPhone 3G does not come with a dock, instead you need to buy it separately for $29.99. The bummer of it is that the dock that came with the 1st gen iPhone is incompatible with the 3G dock. The other bummer for some folks could possibly be that the 3G dock also doesn’t work with the original iPhone either.

In any case — it’s a dock. It has the same outputs (USB and Audio) and the same basic shape as the original dock, although it is a bit nicer in spots. Namely: it doesn’t wrap as far around the sides of the iPhone, so it has an overall cleaner look. The phone does sit a bit too vertically for my tastes, but that’s a fairly subjective thing.

Still, for an extra 29 bucks there’s more we’d like to see here. An included USB cable and AC adapter for two. An IR port so it might be able to support an Apple Remote for three.

So all in all: boo-urns on Apple for no longer including it and boo-urns for charging $29 for it, $19 would be much more appropriate. Gallery after the break!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Quick Review: iPhone 3G Dock

figure 1:component video cable support

It looks like the Composite AV cable and Component AV cable both officially support the iPhone. This is definitely an exciting new development.

figure 2: composite video cable support

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone Now Does Video Out?

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Oooh, Shiny

Maybe you’ve heard of ill-fated Microsoft iLoo. Well, someone took at Atech took that idea and ran with it, like they were afraid someone would take it away from them. Anyone want to make bets whether they made a profit on this one? Can we dream for a ‘works with iPhone’ sticker on this must-have accessory? [via camarochris]

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Weirdest iPod Accessory

UPDATED 06/25/2007 10:00a: there’s now proof that Apple has at least been thinking about it.

Someone just passed on a rumor to me — Belkin may have exclusivity on the Dock charging port on the iPhone. My secondhand source indicated that there’s a chip in the iPhone dock, and the iPhone will charge only if a corresponding chip is present on the charger.

The big question with this rumor is exactly how exclusive it is (oh yeah, and exactly how true it is) — I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that Apple’s charger would charge just fine too. Anyway, if this rumor is true (I should mention again that this is just a rumor), odds are decent that it’s to get people to actually license the dock connector, instead of, well you know, stealing it. One of those DMCA-to-the-rescue-by-lawsuit type things.

At any rate, if it is true, it’s crazy and unprecedented. What about other huge iPod accessory manufacturers, for example Griffin?

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Rumor: Belkin has Dock Connector Exclusivity

This is possibly a picture of the iPhone dock that will be available at AT&T or Apple stores. There may be a variant that allows you to charge the eventual Apple Bluetooth Headset as well, details are still sketchy at this point.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone Dock