I've been a computer user since DOS, smart phone user since Treo, Ubuntu since Dapper and I just don't get it...Why would smart phone manufacturers & Android coders leave out something as basic as usb-host mode? Seems like they almost went out of their way to do so. Cost just can't be that much of a difference. Loss of capability without host mode seems severe to me (no keyboard, mouse, external storage, webcam etc.) Any ideas why?
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Why no usb-host?
- Thread starter MoebusNet
- Start date
AndroidSPCS
Android Expert
Um they didn't leave it out?
USB Host mode on Motorola Droid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-bLOc1qnMM
USB Host mode on Motorola Droid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-bLOc1qnMM
AndroidSPCS
Android Expert
Of course if you plug anything into your smartphone won't work, there are such things called "drivers" that are required.
I would guess they left it out so Android OS is not bloated like Windows which includes a lot of USB drivers but don't work so well and often crash. This is why so many of us have regular issues getting Windows to recognize the Android Phones via USB connectivity.
Another reason is that it's not that big of a demand from users. Would it be nice *if* Android has flawless USB driver support? Maybe... some of us prefer bluetooth so that way we can avoid having to carry wires around. Others wirelessly use cloud based storage such as drop box so there is no need for USB based storage. Many also use wifi to stream data, the phones all have a camera so no need for a web based cam, etc etc...
bottom line is the benefits probably do not outweigh the cons for the majority of Android users.
If you *REALLY REALLY* want it you have options, such as with the Droid that I linked, or the Nexus One I linked.
I would guess they left it out so Android OS is not bloated like Windows which includes a lot of USB drivers but don't work so well and often crash. This is why so many of us have regular issues getting Windows to recognize the Android Phones via USB connectivity.
Another reason is that it's not that big of a demand from users. Would it be nice *if* Android has flawless USB driver support? Maybe... some of us prefer bluetooth so that way we can avoid having to carry wires around. Others wirelessly use cloud based storage such as drop box so there is no need for USB based storage. Many also use wifi to stream data, the phones all have a camera so no need for a web based cam, etc etc...
bottom line is the benefits probably do not outweigh the cons for the majority of Android users.
If you *REALLY REALLY* want it you have options, such as with the Droid that I linked, or the Nexus One I linked.
1) Drivers: how long has usb been with us? Not rocket science I'm afraid.
2) Demand: Again I refer you to Google. A search for "mount thumb drive Android" or variations thereof will give you an afternoon's worth of reading. There is demand, just not met yet.
But my question is _why_ not how. Why was the decision made to omit this basic function? I can't believe that I'm the only one who'd like to know.
2) Demand: Again I refer you to Google. A search for "mount thumb drive Android" or variations thereof will give you an afternoon's worth of reading. There is demand, just not met yet.
But my question is _why_ not how. Why was the decision made to omit this basic function? I can't believe that I'm the only one who'd like to know.
IOWA
Mr. Logic Pants
Bloat, stability, only .1% of users would actually think of using this, keyboards/mice/periphials dont connect via micro USB etc etc...
AndroidSPCS
Android Expert
1) Drivers - a HUGE deal. I also run Ubuntu and I can't use the majority of USB peripherals that I use on Windows to work on Ubuntu or other flavors of Linux because of lack of Linux drivers. In fact I can't even get all of my PCs / Laptops to run Linux / Ubuntu because of lack of drivers for even basic things like Wifi cards, network cards. If you've been using PCs for as long as you say, since DOS, as I have, then surely you must know this. Why is this something that you do not understand??
2) A google search proves nothing. A google search for "my mom is an alien" brings over 1 million results. Does that mean there are actually alien moms on this planet?
Running a mobile phone is completely different from a PC. USB is not a most basic function for mobile phones. Has never been before Android, and still is not a basic function even with Android.
You seem to be in love with USB for some reason, which as I stated if so you can get the Droid or Nexus One as you like. The rest of us, the majority of Android users really don't care that much for it.
Bloat? Are usb drivers really that big (I'm asking)? My Incredible has 8 GB storage without SD; an Ubuntu install is smaller than that.
Stability? Android was built on Linux base. Surely we understand USB better than that?
0.1%? If Google is any indication of interest, surely that percentage is higher. My Incredible can output the screen to my TV. If I could mount a keyboard, mouse & external storage I'd be using my phone even more for text.
Stability? Android was built on Linux base. Surely we understand USB better than that?
0.1%? If Google is any indication of interest, surely that percentage is higher. My Incredible can output the screen to my TV. If I could mount a keyboard, mouse & external storage I'd be using my phone even more for text.
AndroidSPCS
Android Expert
I've given you the real world reasons why USB is not a must have for Android. Keep at asking this pointless question if you must.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Thank you for your input, I do appreciate the viewpoint. Some of us view a smartphone as a small computer that can make phone calls, not just a high-powered cell phone. Reference USB peripherals, my off-the-shelf keyboard, mouse, thumb drives, and external drives work well for me in Ubuntu. Manufacturers who make other peripherals may not provide enough data for anything but Windows.
I do predict that host-mode will become supported; the only question is when.
I do predict that host-mode will become supported; the only question is when.
AndroidSPCS
Android Expert
Perhaps. But USB is still evolving and the current USB as is, is becoming Obsolete. USB wireless is trying to mimic Bluetooth, because to be honest, who wants to be stuck with wires and hubs? USB 3.0 is coming out for data transfer, and USB 2.0 is on its way out. Even USB doesn't know what it is going to evolve to, much less how it can stay relevant for mobile devices.
I can't see an Android phone connected to a mess of USB wires and hubs to connect to a USB keyboard, mice, thumb drives, and web cams. Just seems pretty useless.
Bluetooth, wifi, and wireless connectivity is the future. Wired interfaces are going to fade. This is why USB host-mode will probably never become popular. It's already supported, as I linked above, but the demand for it is just not there.
I can't see an Android phone connected to a mess of USB wires and hubs to connect to a USB keyboard, mice, thumb drives, and web cams. Just seems pretty useless.
Bluetooth, wifi, and wireless connectivity is the future. Wired interfaces are going to fade. This is why USB host-mode will probably never become popular. It's already supported, as I linked above, but the demand for it is just not there.
Sorry to take so long to reply, the battery went dead on my Incredible. I had to wait for it to charge, which kinda makes my point. If you use your wireless device for a relatively long time ( say an entire work day) you run the danger of running out of power. The more capabilities you use (bluetooth, wifi, drop box) the faster you burn battery power. It seems like the smartphone capabilities always outpace the battery power. Not just the phones, but all of the other wireless devices. For example to tether my laptop to my Incredible for any length of time, both the laptop and the phone need to be plugged in or the batteries give out. I'm just saying that being completely wireless for more than an hour or two is limited more by power consumption than anything else. If I've got to be plugged in anyway, a wired data connection is both faster and more secure.
I think that running Android is about having options (at least it is for me.) A functional USB host-mode would enable options that are otherwise unavailable.
EDIT: Being new to the forums, I just found this. I think this says it all for me:
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=1147
Whether it's rocket science or not is irrelevant. Drivers don't just will themselves into existence.
For the same reason any number of "basic functions" were omitted. Development resources are finite.
I want to make SSH sessions to my servers. For this purpose I'm using pkcs#11 USB token. So there is no phone, but Pidion bip-6000, with android OS and USB-host, as far as I know. But it costs ~2500$ - it's too expensive for me. So I'm still waiting for it. Present time I'm using Siemens Me45 (winter edition) for it's bulletproofness and bloody backlight %)
Drivers are not a big issue, remember android runs on a modified linux kernel which has plenty of driver support.
USB needs slightly different hardware for host and slave ports so you would need to add another port of have a fancy electronic switch inside to move the physical port between the host and slave hardware.
USB needs slightly different hardware for host and slave ports so you would need to add another port of have a fancy electronic switch inside to move the physical port between the host and slave hardware.