Remember the Droid hack for making a USB host? Well, I guess that hack can work for most Android-based smartphones plus any regular USB keyboard will be recognized if you simply plug it in.
Android sees the keyboard, and as Chris says, “It Just Works.” A similar process was replicated and tested successfully on an HTC Hero as well, so odds are decent that many other Android phones can use USB-OTG to host a keyboard. No additional drivers were needed for either the Droid or the Hero, so keyboard support has to be built within Android itself. Of course, that means it could go away in any future Android updates, but for now, you can enjoy a full-sized keyboard on your pint-sized phone.
I think Google has done a great job of implementing USB devices on the Android as it’s not just a smartphone OS, it can be extended as any kind of control device for many gadgets.
One Response to Android Hack – How to Add a USB Keyboard to Your Android-based Smartphone!
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Any update on this. Do droids still require a hardware hack to faciliate USB A/B functionality. Does this depend on the manufacturer or on the droidware version or both?
I’ve got an HTC Eris I’m demoing so that is what i’m particularly interested in. This is one of the better touch screens I’ve used but I’m dangerous with the thing. I can’t get a finger near the screen without doing something I don’t want to do. I’m constantly calling people I didn’t mean to call. It is a pretty good phone otherwise, but I’ve got to figure out how to keep a hardware keyboard I can tap it into or give it back and go back to blackberry.
thanks.