We had a chance to check out the Apple dock connector flavor in March, and now the Kickstarter-backed company is shipping its micro-USB version, supporting power and data transfer with just about any USB-equipped gadget.

ENGADGET

There were no connector wires going out from the stations to carry that electricity to those who need it.

NPR: Progress, Problems in Iraq's Reconstruction Effort

The new, smaller dock connector will also be rolled out all new iOS devices including the next iPod touch.

FORBES: Confirmed? New iPhone Will Be Longer and Thinner and Have Smaller Dock Connector

The device includes a fixed micro-USB connector and a pop-out flexible cable to plug into your computer or another power source.

ENGADGET

The Android Open Accessory platform seeks to match, if not trump, the wide range of accessories that have surfaced around Apple's 30-pin connector that began as a simple way to provide charging and audio out.

ENGADGET: Switched On: Adding to Android's army

Not long after the bobbing booster was fished out of the Atlantic, a team of troubleshooters determined the wire broke away from a connector.

CNN: Challenger explosion

Details are still fluid on precisely what such a connector would look like and do, but the expectation is that it'll be built out of copper wire, will be flatter and thinner than Thunderbolt's rotund construction, and will be able to channel power as well as data through to devices up to 10 feet (3m) away.

ENGADGET: PCI Express cables could take us to 32Gbps speeds by 2013