# When will Android have plug 'n play USB support?



## nick h. (May 17, 2011)

I read somewhere a few months ago that some people were developing support for an external USB disk. I think it was an unofficial hack tho. Do you think we'll soon be able to plug any old USB gadget into Android handsets, Windows-style?


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## mauvais (May 17, 2011)

Tablets can do it. Android 3.1 introduces USB host and MTP APIs, which means applications can play with USB peripherals. That capability presumably already exists on devices, just without the API.

The 'USB accessory' API has made it to Android 2.3.4 as well. I'm not entirely sure what this lets you do.


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## bi0boy (May 17, 2011)

nick h. said:


> Do you think we'll soon be able to plug any old USB gadget into Android handsets, Windows-style?


 
No. Recognising a USB flash drive is not the same as supporting your random scanner/SatNav/portable aquarium


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## Sunray (May 17, 2011)

Seagate has developed a wifi hard disk for iOS and Android support is coming soon.

Its battery powered.

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer...nnounces-goflex-satellite-wireless-hard-drive


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## cybershot (May 19, 2011)

Why the hell would you want to do that. USB ports are too bulky for phones unless you had converter. Surely we should be looking at thinner headphone jacks as standard as the thickness of phones these days is pretty much limited by this!


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## scifisam (May 19, 2011)

They're small gadgets with less memory (RAM specifically) than desktop computer or laptops, so wouldn't it be difficult to plug things into them and treat them as if they had a lot more memory than they really do? Phones are increasing in memory all the time, but the plug-and-play gadgets keep pace with them for memory needs. 

Maybe it could work for Android tablets. They're the only devices where I could see a market for it anyway.


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## WWWeed (May 19, 2011)

its not usb as a full size usb port! its the interface so people can make cool devices that plug into the phone or tablet micro-sd port! Although saying that someone will probably make some gadget with full size usb ports.

have a look at http://createdigitalmusic.com/2011/...-mode-open-hardware-development-with-arduino/ or http://gizmodo.com/5800436/androids-new-hacker-dream-adk-makes-anything-an-accessory for instance.

I really want a android arduino board thing but I dont really have the time at the moment and they are like $300


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## grit (May 19, 2011)

I thought there was something at IO this year about android being able to be a host usb device (or a slave can never remember the order)?


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## nick h. (May 19, 2011)

Mini and micro USB ports are small enough to go on a handset. As phones become ever more powerful people will do things they currently do with laptops. So there will be a need for connecting all manner of peripherals. It would be neater to do it wirelessly but lots of peripherals can't do that. And I think USB has higher bandwidth than Bluetooth doesn't it?


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## Quartz (May 20, 2011)

What about that Thunderbird (?) port that Intel's promoting? Sufficiently versatile for HD video output and for USB devices.


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