Today's news reveals that the European Union is driving through a regulation that will see mobile phone manufacturers standardise on a single power charger specification and physical connector type. In our household we have four different makes of mobile phone and not one has the same power connector as the other. So having one universal fit power connector sounds like a great idea.

But, to be frank, I'm sceptical. I actually bent the truth in the previous paragraph, as two of my household's phones do share the same fit power connector; mini USB ports that convey power as well as data - now a common solution. The problem is that one phone won't charge using the same cable as the other phone, despite the same 'compatible' USB port.

If the USB standard can't be interpreted properly, I'm not optimistic that a common standard for phone power will be a smooth ride. And this is a shame, because standardisation of power for cameras and their batteries would also be most welcome. Let's just hope the phone manufacturers get it right and set a good example for camera manufacturers to follow!