News - Nokia begins no-charger trial in an effort to keep green

[HEXUS]

Hoping to boost its green credentials and reduce waste, Nokia has begun a trial in which it'll sell mobile phones without chargers.

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[Lee H]

This is just stupid IMO.

They need to release chargers which don't break every 3-4 months (dodgy cable or the connection near the plug) before actually selling phones without the chargers or is this their new business plan to increase their revenue to combat the threats from the iphone or crackberry?

[rs4847]

Perhaps Nokia doesn't want the bill for WEEE disposal of all the broken AC-3/4/5x and DC-4 chargers, I also have several of these broken chargers lying around.

[Funkstar]

what do nokia use for a data connection these days?

Make that a standard mini USB socket and let the phone charge over that. Just like my HTC. Job done.

[joshwa]

Here I was expecting some new clever, solar powered phone, or one that generates kinetic energy when in your pocket (like those clever wrist watches)... only to find they are simply selling a phone without a charger?!

There's a much simpler solution to this - charge the thing via USB! Calling it "Eco" just because it comes without a charger is blatant marketing.

[Apex]

Nothing new here, when i use to work for O2 and we had the 6230i there was a option to sell it with out a charger,

[kingpotnoodle]

This is just stupid IMO.

They need to release chargers which don't break every 3-4 months (dodgy cable or the connection near the plug) before actually selling phones without the chargers or is this their new business plan to increase their revenue to combat the threats from the iphone or crackberry?

Don't know what you do with your chargers, but I have ones which have lasted years, including being chewed by a rabbit - and they still work.

[Stringent]

They changed the pin on their charger a few years ago to a smaller one, but most phones shipped with a converter so you could use your old one.

Nokia do a micro USB connection on their phones now. It used to be mini usb.

[Lee H]

Don't know what you do with your chargers, but I have ones which have lasted years, including being chewed by a rabbit - and they still work.

Nothing major serious as it's plugged into my PC power area and then the cables plugged into my phone, usually on top of my PC. The cable is loose, free from knots or loops and is not tight in any way.

[S_D]

The USB idea isn't a very good one IMO. Not everyone is near a computer all the time, nor do I want to have to turn a power sapping computer on just to charge a phone!

Whilst supposedly 'green' I don't like this idea of leaving out the charger. I keep all my phone packaging, right down to the little clear bags all the bits come in so that when I sell it on at renewal time it's 'complete' and attracts a better price on the bay. Not everyone buying a phone will already have a charger and this stinks a bit of profiteering if they're not passing on the savings to customers.

[TheBloodyNine]

The USB idea isn't a very good one IMO. Not everyone is near a computer all the time, nor do I want to have to turn a power sapping computer on just to charge a phone!

Whilst supposedly 'green' I don't like this idea of leaving out the charger. I keep all my phone packaging, right down to the little clear bags all the bits come in so that when I sell it on at renewal time it's 'complete' and attracts a better price on the bay. Not everyone buying a phone will already have a charger and this stinks a bit of profiteering if they're not passing on the savings to customers.

I really doubt there is that much of a saving involved, maybe a few quid, and that’s probably the £4 going to the WWF. Also they could provide a charger with a USB connector for those who don’t want to have their computers on to charge their phone, like Motorola did with the Razr, and no doubt countless other handsets.

[Funkstar]

I've actually jsut thought: how does this fly when EU legistlation requires a device to be sold with either a mains plug or batteries etc?

I know the phone is going to come with a bettery, but will it be charged to get around that piece of legislation?

[digit]

The USB idea isn't a very good one IMO. Not everyone is near a computer all the time, nor do I want to have to turn a power sapping computer on just to charge a phone!

I regularly charge many devices via usb with my computer off, I think partial power is provided through USB even with a power down. Alternatively a powered usb hub could solve the problem? I hate leads and clutter and personally wish far more devices could charge via usb.

[Mblaster]

The USB idea isn't a very good one IMO. Not everyone is near a computer all the time, nor do I want to have to turn a power sapping computer on just to charge a phone!

One of these that came with my phone (along with USB cable) does the job, although not sure what savings you'd get by only removing the cable.

[Steve A]

Epic Fail IMO

[cheesemp]

This isn't news. My N73 that I upgraded to 18 months ago was like this. It came with a letter explaining basically the same thing. It included an adaptor cable for using an old style charger plug with the newer smaller plug. Stupid thing was O2 never asked me, just bundled a new Nokia charger in a jiffy bag along with the phone in its eco packaging.