An end to expensive Iphone 4, 3G etc. chargers

The ingenuous people at AdaFruits have done it again, this time revealing -- in good hacker tradition -- just why all of the latest Apple gizmos like the iPhone insist on having an original Apple charger connected up when al they demand is current to charge an internal battery – right?

In a 7 minute video you can watch and understand how the mysteries of Apple device charging are explored. Usually device makers need to sign a confidentially agreement with Apple who want to say "works with iPhone / iPod" and never talk about how the insides work. If you don't put these secret resistors on the data lines to you get the dreaded "CHARGING IS NOT SUPPORTED WITH THIS ACCESSORY". The video and a page with schematics, explanations and so on the MintyBoost charger demonstrate how anyone can do this and make their own chargers that work with iPhone 4, 3Gs, etc. Awesome!