I have a bazillion USB cables ... for digital cameras, GPS's, accessories, etc. etc. Many have a cylindrical thingy (different sizes, some smaller than others) built into the cable, yet some are just straight wire cables. I don't pay much attention to which cable came with which accessory as there doesn't seem to be a bit of difference in how they perform. For example, I leave one plugged into my laptop and whenever I need to download info or simply charge an accessory, I just plug it into the existing cable, instead of using the cable that came with each device. (Heck, there's even one on the power cord to my laptop.) SHOULD I pay closer attention? They're obviously put there for some reason but I have no clue why. My question is ... what are they and should I worry about interchanging them with other electronic items? Here's what I'm talking about ... one "straight wire" and one with a "thingy" in-line.

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