Or implement other identification mechanisms that exist or might evolve. Yes. But in the same run, that might take too much from the port you plug it in mistaki

Or implement other identification mechanisms that exist or might evolve. Yes. But in the same run, that might take too much from the port you plug it in mistakingly. If you don't trust the port, you will often not even know what it is. It's probably safe to assume it will indeed give you 500mA (when it's in the device or a powered hub). What about the 1500mA ones? That said, if one desperately needs to charge a battery, one is likely to take even 100mA. Cutting two lines of a cable doesn't seem that hard and ugly compared to a un-encased PCB, though.