I’m coming real close to kicking devices that don’t use USB (for charging or data sync) to the curb, permanently. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on proprietary cords, cables, and connections – and I’ll be damned if I can remember what connects to the other end of these things. It’s past the point of insanity – it’s a conspiracy, and users are on the losing end of this industry (surprise, surprise).

Even though I decided on the Blackjack recently, it was with much reluctance due to the proprietary nature of its connection adapter – later to find out that my Sprint UpStage used the same form factor, essentially eliminating the need to buy more cables. I’ve been accepted as a Ustream Lifecaster (even though I did openly encourage folks to vote for other people), so we’ll see what kind of mobile options are headed my way.

“Proprietary” and “power” do not belong on the same planet, let alone the same sentence. No wonder people are slow to adopt new technologies – I don’t blame them a single bit. Even if there were an easy way to recover funds spent on obsolescent hardware, most people simply don’t bother with ‘em past the point of their usefulness (which is why companies love to issue mail-in rebates, counting on the general laziness of the average consumer).