If you are a pack rat like me, you probably have a number of docking stations and cradles for portable products that you've replaced or that no longer work, or perhaps have multiple docking stations/cradles for similar devices. Wouldn't it be nice if portable devices from different manufacturers had the same docking connector? A new working group formed by the Consumer Electronics Association's (CEA) Technology and Standards' Mobile Electronics Committee may make that a reality. The working group's purpose, according to the CEA press release, is to "create an electrical and mechanical specification for a standard docking connector suitable for portable devices that need to be cradled and controlled in both an in-vehicle and in-home environment."
Brian Markwalter, CEA vice president of Technology and Standards, cited the multiplicity of proprietary docking stations and the necessity for achieving interoperability. He said, "This new working group will create an industry standard docking connector specification that could be adopted by any host or portable device manufacturer regardless of the format or protocol that it supports."
Jai Jaisimha, lead program manager of the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft and chairman of the working group said, "It is important for the industry to create an open, industry-wide standard for docking connectors that will give consumers greater access to the digital entertainment they have stored on devices."
Membership in the working group is open to companies and organizations with direct and material interest in the activities of the working group. CEA membership is not required to participate. More information is available in the CEA news release CEA Announces New Working Group for Common Portable Device Connector.
