Is Nokia pondering magnetic ports for some handsets?
Some Nokia sets feature similar-sized headset and charging jacks and in an effort to help owners quickly tell them apart -- and prevent potential damage to the handset -- Nokia may have decided on a bit of clever gadgetry to save the day. The idea is dead-simple, one port will be positively magnetized, the other negatively, so if you try to plug in your cables to the wrong place they will repel. Safe and simple, we like it, now if they were able to extend it out to some type of MagSafe charger adapter.[Via textually.org]
Filed under: Handsets, Nokia, Accessories
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Carbonize @ Jan 12th 2008 3:23AM
Make something idiot proof and you will just find a different class of idiot. I mean I'm sorry but how hard is it to tell a 3.5 jack port from a charging port? The pin in the charging port would be a give away if nothing else.
alphaod @ Jan 12th 2008 6:43PM
There are a lot of phone with 2.5mm audio ports and the power plugs that come with some Nokia's are also 2.5mm, so yes it can be difficult to tell them apart. The new ones are smaller, but when they are not labeled, you can potentially plug the power in to the wrong one for even just a second and that could damage the phone.
Eric O @ Jan 12th 2008 5:32AM
i design power supplies. you will be surprised about how many levels of dumb there are in this world.
chuck @ Jan 12th 2008 10:02AM
Magnetized ports would be a nightmare on cell phones. It's bad enough on my Macbook- if I'm sitting on a couch with the power cord plugged in, it easily comes undone. It would be really irritating to have to deal with my car charger cord disconnecting from my phone half the time I pick it up to take a call...
Scott @ Jan 18th 2008 4:07PM
Put the phone in your pocket next to a credit card and...walla...it no longer works!