Sick and tired of needing a different adapter for every phone in the family, or in the office? Wondering why there can't be one charging solution for every type of cell phone? Your wait may soon be over.

The GSMA mobile world conference which is going on right now in Barcelona, is the annual get-together for all of the players in the GSM industry. It's a pretty big deal, with a lot of announcements about the future of the mobile industry, especially on the hardware front. New handsets aplenty, new software too. Exciting stuff.

But perphaps the most welcome announcement from the point of view of the average consumer and interestingly – the environment – is the one that came out today in support of a universal charging standard for cell phones.

The GSMA is officially backing the Micro-USB adapter, which has already gained a strong foothold amongst manufacturers. They've got the participation of a number of heavy-hitters such as Sony-Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung and Nokia to name a few, which should help to make this a reality.

Other than the obvious convenience of having a single type of plug to power every kind of cellphone, there's another benefit: Gone may be the days when buying a new phone meant buying an adapter to power it. The savings on the environmental front of being able to buy an adapter once (from your choice of hundreds of brands) and then using it on all your phones present and future is significant.

But before we all cheer and wait with baited-breath for 2012 to be upon us, there is one player notably absent from the party: Apple. With their dedication to proprietary connectors for their hugely successful line of iPod gadgets – iPhone included – the dream of a truly universal charger may remain elusive for a little longer.

Thanks Engadget