Of all the
AC adapters stuffed into your personal item when globetrotting, the plug used in Merry Old England must surely be the most cumbersome -- its three copper prongs flung to the extremes of a giant block of plastic. That Victorian holdover gets a major re-do with this UK Folding Plug concept. The two horizontal prongs rotate themselves in-line with the top, vertical one, and the body of the adapter then folds in half, resulting in a thickness of about 1cm. Interestingly the plug would still work in either position, with a slimline power strip envisioned to accept three of these slender lovelies at once. It's positively brilliant, but is just a concept at this point, and while we don't have any news to pass along about its likelihood for production, surely some manufacturer will watch the video after the break and start churning these out by the millions.
[Via
Pocket-lint]
posted Jun 23rd 2009 7:03AM
@Alex
Pathetic!
The fact of the matter is the UK and England are used interchangably, all I ever see is American referring to the UK as England, and here we have another example. Mrs Doubtfire was apparantly English for Christ sake! Can't you dumbass's even make a film accurate, and don't you think to yourself she sounds a bit different from that stereotypical Bridget Jones English accent.
You have missed the point entirely and tried to be a smart arse, fail!
"Scotland invented the television, telephone, fax machine, Penicilin, pneumatic tyres, the steam engine, refridgeraors and the telegraph to name a few.
So yeah, pretty insignificant..."
Why did you watch THAT episode of QI but not the one where Mr Fry explians why the name persists in America? Prior to WWII-ish 'England' was used to refer to the entirity of the UK (WWI was singed off by the 'Prime minister of England'). Today the word has been swapped for 'UK', but sometimes people still talk about England as the whole as that's where everyone lives (Manchester for example has a larger population that Soctland and Wales combined).
Seriously, it's just words and names. Why so patriotic about individual bits of the UK and so keen to do down the whole thing? That's like me being anoyed that Brunel's work is attributed to the UK and not to Portsmouth.
And bloody good plugs they are!
LOL these Brits are such goofies
Absolutely. I always appreciated the fact that when you plug them in, you know they're plugged in and they aren't going to fall out again. And the switch on the outlet is pretty handy too.
ROTFL yeah man create problem and then charge to resolve it. Whatta Orwell way man !! LOL
My Creative speakers take up 3 plug sockets due to the built in transformer. Big just like the Americans themselves.
If plugs were laptops, then UK plugs would be ThinkPads!
This folding plug design is rather brilliant. However, from the video, it seems to be just a student design project. If so, in a world where companies register so many useless patents, it's ironic that this useful design has been released into the public domain without any rights protection...
I've always hated the 3pin plugs.. Seems only Ireland/England/Austrailia use them too.
Hey London C.
Are you saying socket was designed also by students ?
Students fixing students ha ?
@ Glazun
"The BS 1363 design is not only in use in the United Kingdom and Ireland, but also in Sri Lanka, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Yemen, Oman, Cyprus, Malta, Gibraltar, Botswana, Ghana, Hong Kong, Macau, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Iraq, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. BS 1363 is also standard in several of the former British Caribbean colonies such as Belize, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenada. It is also used in Saudi Arabia"
@Glazun
Actually so does Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Can't remember if Thailand uses it.
Somebody's gonna be rich.
LOL colonize half of the world to spread crappy socket then make even more money on weirdo plug
The reason british plugs are so big is because they traditionally by law all have to have a fuse in them, every single plug, and that's how they remained so big.
Not sure if the EU membership/rules changed any of that.
All of the references in the story and comments stating that these are "British" or "UK" or "English" plugs are just dead wrong. These plugs are also used in the Republic of Ireland, which is not part of "Great Britain" or the "United Kingdom" or "England". Ireland is a sovereign Republic. It would be more accurate to refer to the plugs as Irish/British or Irish/U.K.
England don't use the metric system, they drive on the wrong side of the road (compared to rest of europe) and they can't even use the euro plug:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europlug
It is about time to get civilized. :) (So I can buy stuff from england without needing to readapt)
As a Uker I can only say - awesome :O
indeed, looks great...funny how this took so long to come about but most definitely welcome...
Yes, I'll take two.
Just watched the movie too...the multi adapter is great idea, oh and she mentions the slimplug for the poster below...
Hong Kong being a previous colony uses them too, this idea's very very good but the excessive "mac-ness" doesnt sit too well in my stomach
Just an fyi, the air is NOT the thinnest laptop, its some sorta NEC or samsung laptop back in the 90s oddly enough
@joshky: But it's well known unlike the NEC you could not name. The bottom of the plug reminds me of Apple headphones although I don't get the point of the foldable flaps? They look kind of flimsy and unecessary.
@joshky: You are correct. The world's thinnest laptop is the Actius MM10 Muramasa (see:http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9852240-7.html)
Have you seen the size of the voltage converter unit you have to travel to americana with!
Yes well, the problem is actually your antiquated electricals, not ours. We don't have this problem anywhere else.
Less is not more in this case, Kailie. 230V AC is obviously better than 110V because it can be used for more things. Also, most other countries in the EU doesn't use this oldschool UK plug, but the much slimmer Euro plug instead.
I kind of wish my country used 230V... My power supply would be more efficient and my electric car would charge faster. ho-hum.
The British plugs are big, true, but not as big as the South African behemoths! Sadly there too the British are too blame...
For the size of South African plugs? .Anyway, Britian is also to blame for everything else in the world every created so on ballance I think they done good.
Seriously when is the UK going to update those ugly ancient plugs with something reasonable. I mean cmon they still have fuses...
When we want to swap out every socket + plug in the country?
They're big because they're safer and don't forget we have 240v to deal with over here.
When you plug in a UK plug, it stays in unlike the flat pinned US plugs or the round pinned ones everywhere else. It was a great surprise working in the Middle East to find that they used these lovely sensible plugs too.
Packing them in a suitcase is a bit of a nightmare, especially computer ones. For mobile or camera chargers you just wrap the wire round the body and between the prongs to get a ball. You can't do that with a laptop charger.
A study was done not so long ago (I can't be bothered to find it but google a bit and you will), this followed attempts by the EU to persuade the UK to swap to the more compact system common in europe. This concentrated not on the economics of swapping all the sockets out but on the safety side. They found that an estimated 10 people more in the UK would die a year, the number of electrical fires and minor shocks would also increase significantly as the UK design although more bulky is inherently far safer than many other alternatives.
The fuses are there for good reason so its nice to see a seemingly well designed compact adapter which still includes the fuse. I'd still have to wait and see how well it stood up to testing before wanting to use one tho.
The best bit about our plugs is that they make it really difficult for you to electrocute yourself. You can't just stick a fork in and zap - no, you need to go to all the extra effort of sticking a knife into the top slot to open the bottom gates. It's just not worth the hassle.
Ireland actually moved away from the "Schuko" (European Plugs) in the 60s
to the BS 1363 (three pin UK) when you guys switched from the old round pin
plugs that the South Africans still use.
The BS 1363 plug was designed to be safe because UK homes are wired
rather badly. The "ring" wiring system used in the UK was designed after
WW2 to conserve copper, not for safety.
Irish households are wired similar to German houses, they don't use the
"ring" setup that's common in the UK.
In the future hopefully all of the EU will switch to the international standard
IEC 60906-1 which the Brazilians are currently switching to.
It's safer than the BS 1363, smaller and can carry more current.
@Noel..You don't get out much do you? :-) Only Joking.. Being a Brit and an expat for years, I have used a crazy variety of plugs..I still love the British plug..When it's in..Its in there! No messing and no falling out or losing power as it wiggles around. The more I travel the more I end up with a daft amount of plugs and not to mention the two voltages.. although here in Brazil they have 240 and 110 in the same house.
I say the British plug should become the world standard.
God save the Queen...
I'm not sure if Engadget's trying to be funny with the Victorian holdover comment but apparently the plug dates from the WWII era and was widely implemented in the 50's and 60's. Trying to call it ancient ... I don't know, it didn't get me laughing and the two-prong plugs in the US are actually significantly older.
Just leave the design of UK plugs and sockets alone. They do the job that needs to done brilliantly.
Wow, this is pointless.
So, UK plugs are bigger... DEAL WITH IT!
I bet that extra pound in your luggage really made one hell of a difference to your traveling comfort...
@ Bellzebub
Rofl.
Oh, and for the record, I love it how this thread is full of yanks trying to assert there dominance and authority over the quality of our electrical plugs, lol. You guys really are the best at EVERYTHING, lol. One day we will all catch up. Unless that time I will live as what can at best be described as a plug peasant.
...sub "their" for "there"
@Ryan it does if you're flying with Ryanair!
Good idea, hope they're not too flimsy.
The reason most phone chargers are so bulky is because they are full of transformers to bring that 240V AC down to about 5V DC for your phone or whatever, so for them this would be pretty pointless.
Its not talking about power adapters...just the plugs. Also have you seen Apple's adapters of late?
what? every companies' cellphone charger here in NA are small, twice the size of the new apple charger at most. and they support 110~240V.
yes it might be safer. even more safe, extremely safe for stupid ppl.
genius
Here in ireland we use the same plug.
The design of this is frigging inspired.
This is brilliant. I think this concept could be useful for every kind of electric plug, not just the British one.
I'm staying put. These Folding Plugs are much more innovative and have a much smaller footprint. The Slimplugs look quite lame.
UK plugs are individually fused, hence the bulk. So all your lights don't go out if something blows. If this new plug also has a fuse it sounds great.
It says 'fused' on it.
watch the video. it is fused. great product.
Thanks for clarifications. I look at Engadget mostly in text only.
That's weird. I just look at the pictures. So I'll now comment on everything I see lacking based solely on the pictures without reading the text, and you can just explain to me what I missed.
Your system sounds really f-ing efficient...
ST2356: you seem to have blown your own fuse. Reason why I didn't see the reference was that I was looking at it on an iPhone and great though it is, reading text is much faster and more efficient than switching to a video. On my iMac screen I can the word "fused" in the photo but not on the iPhone. And I did try to thank those who put me right.
How do you connect the wires to it if needed.
I need this in my life RIGHT NOW. As a UK resident with a *few* gadgets at home all I can say is this is completely brilliant! Please god someone buy / make / sell this!!!
Actually, the biggest problem I found when living in America was that your plugs fall out of the socket if knocked. Or if you breathe on them. Or if a butterfly is hovering in the other room.
British plugs have the additional advantage in that they naturally lie prongs side up, biding their time for someone to walk across the room barefoot in the dark. :-)
Ah, yes, the deadly plug, don't think there are many things more painful that stepping on one.
How true; UK plugs may be bulky, but I do like the fact that once they're in a socket, it pretty much stays there if it gets accidentally snagged, unlike the US counterpart.
@Orinjz
I'd say that's not very safe.. if you snag the cable and it comes out, there's not as much stress put on it. If you snag the cable but it stays in (and you trip over instead), that cable could very well become damaged.. which then becomes a lovely hidden fire risk. Would you rather reboot your computer and lose a few minutes' work (save often!), or would you rather your house catch on fire while you're asleep?
That said, some older US-style sockets can become too loose.. to the point that wriggling the plug causes the power to cut on and off.. Which is why I think the Australian/NZ plugs are much better either of those :)
@Sirius
I'd rather that the connection remained in the wall rather than hanging halfway out due to the weight of the cable/adapter like they did when I was in the US last year. I think the european style plugs are a better 2 pin design because the pins are more rigid and therefore don't end up hanging diagonally downwards out of the socket.
And in all of my years, I've never had any issue with wire damage due to tripping over them. Firstly because I try to keep all of my cables out of the way and secondly because when you do trip over one of the sturdy little buggers, it's enough of a reminder to move them.
Every time there is an article here discussing plug styles, I always hear how terrible the US plugs are because they fall out of the sockets. I've lived in the US for over 25 years and never once had a plug fall out of a socket. I fail to see why this argument gets brought up over and over and over again.
Now, tripping over a cord is a different story, and in that case I want my plug to come out of the wall so that I don't rip the electrical cord or fall flat on my face.
Anyways, I just don't understand how so many people have trouble keeping plugs in sockets. It really isn't that difficult for anyone over the age of 5.
@Rob K
It's because every single US hotel that does not cost a couple thousand bucks a night is old, run down and smelly, and thier plug sockets are always "a bit off".
@Ryan
I like how you take two examples of simple mistakes and translate that into stereotyping the entire nation. Good job.
I don't have trouble with the plugs in the US. Maybe if the plug is of low quality or if the prongs are bent, but I haven't had any problems recently at all. And I would rather have the plugs come out than stay in. I literally tore wires on my earbuds because it wouldn't come out of the jack when it got stuck.
And hotels? wtf? Where are you staying? 50 - 100 bucks gets you decent to very nice hotels.
@fanman I'd love to know where you get your numbers from. Population of Manchester: ~460,000, population of Scotland and Wales: ~8.2million... Hell, even if you take Greater Manchester, it's still only 2.2million.
The greater manchester area has about half the population of Scotland. As for the city itself it's pretty small.
Regardless of whatever we say here, Andy Murray will be called English by many, many sports commentators this week.
@Mrpinkbunny
That should have been "either" not "aswell as". The population of Manchester is 2,240,230 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester) whilst the population of Wales is 2,903,085 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wales). By contrast, the population of greater london is 7,512,400.
The problem with most US sockets is that most of them are cheaply designed and manufactured. HOWEVER...There are 'spec grade' sockets that do not have the issue of plugs falling out. When you put a plug in these sockets, they stay put! I actually do prefer the UK plugs/sockets (in spite of the extra bulk) just because of the safety features (fused, switched, guarded from accidental contact) but not ALL US sockets are crappy...
Awesome design! Hurry, Hurry will you?
I love how they design a handle on it for easy removal.
Slimplug £4.99 on ebay, the design is even better since, it's the metal bits you wanna fold away so you don't destroy the surface of that nice new MacBookPro in your bag.
Do you work for them or something?
Remind me again, why would I put ANYTHING else in the same compartment of a bag that holds my laptop? If I could hermetically seal the thing in by itself, I would.
looks like something apple would make...
is that a cheese danish? ummm.... cheese
bravo !!!
Sorry Paul, But you actually look at this or the link you posted? Not quite the same. Worth actually putting a bit of thought into it when posting :P
I just realized that my plug can be actually folded too.
To follow that concept someone should invent one that can be both hard and placid, as the needs required.
As she pointed out (after showing the same image) it's still a bulky object. This new design is much much slimmer.
Now that truly is something, you have to watch the video btw, it answered all my questions. The multi adaptor is amazing this is a £Million idea for sure, it better take off no reason why it shouldn't. I have this problem with my DS, I have a little bag for it and i have to squish the adaptor into it, the only bulky thing.
The multi adaptor idea just takes it to the next level, its genius to just keep it flat but this relies on the idea taking off. Most existing devices use power cables so people can just buy new ones so as long as they are not charging monster prices for them I would be willing to buy them.
I wonder when someone will design a folding multi adapter
I wouldn't include ireland in that UK of yours... bad things happen when you do that....
That's a beautiful *concept*...
Just one small problem, though...it doesn't appear that the pins of the plug actually *connect* to anything.
The rotating pair of prongs don't seem to have any wires attached to them (otherwise, how could they rotate?) and
the fold-down "wings" don't seem to have any way to connect to the pins or any wires inside them.
internal wires in the pivot point perhaps...?
Awesome about time.
Safety was the first concern.
Sure the UK plug is not gorgeous but very sturdy.
This is considered one of the safest design,
which is more advanced than it's grandparents,
with fuse in the device and square foot for more friction.
Please bear in mind that this appears to be nothing more than a nice drawing right now. There is a small problem of making it for real and passing british standards to get the kite mark...
Nice try though.
I'm pretty sure that plug wouldn't pass any safety tests and I don't see anywhere for a fuse to go
I've a DS adapter with pins that fold into the plug when not in use but it's flimsy as anything
The plug is a good design anyway, replacing a smaller round pin design that was still fairly common up until the early 1980s
Not had any issues with the current plugs (although people who make chubby plug in transformers that obstruct two other sockets on a 4 way strip should be locked up. or shot.)
Possibly watch the video? Then you'll see the fuse.
I believe he does work for them. The slimplugs are lame - hardly space saving.
Now the ones in this article look interesting.
Stop trying to plug the slimplug :-)
Watch the video Adam there was somewhere to slip the fuse in.
Well, Northern Ireland, but I just said Ireland as I'm sure it doesn't go from three to two pronged in a matter of a few hundred yards.
Epic, epic win.
There is nothing wrong with the plugs we use now, it's not like you need to carry them around with you that often.
Not the only country to do that though...e.g. Japan calls Britain 'Igirisu', i.e. English
Looking around my home office, I have multiple 4 and 6 way extensions taking up valuable space. The extension idea alone is complete genius. The space saving is incredible. Slimplug is good of course, but doesn't come close to the brilliance of this idea.
If this had been on Dragons Den, they would have been falling over themselves to get a piece of the action.
Please. I need this.