Could your computer's USB port replace most of your power outlets? The USB 3.0 Promoter Group seems to think so, as it just announced a new standard that promises up to 100 watts of power delivery.
Today, you can charge your cell phone and power some external hard drives over USB, but when you need enough juice to fill your 10-inch tablet, you're stuck plugging into a standard wall outlet and lugging around a bulky AC adapter with your portable devices. The new USB standard, which will first be submitted for industry review late this year and finalized in 2012, could funnel enough energy through USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 ports to power an entire notebook, a large monitor, or a host of other devices directly through standard USB cables and connectors. We're looking forward to better USB-powered goodies such as refrigerators and rocket launchers.
“Building on the rapidly increasing industry momentum for using USB bus power to charge a broad range of mobile devices, the new USB Power Delivery specification extends USB’s cable power delivery capabilities beyond simple battery charging,” USB 3.0 Promoter Group chairman Brad Saunders said in a press release issued on Wednesday.
The USB 3.0 Promoters Group plans to reveal more details next month at the Intel Developers Forum conference in San Francisco.
