I was given a tip today on how someone hacked the Motorola Android and now has USB connectivity. It’s a great little hack so now just about any USB device could potentially be connected to the Android.  The question becomes what kind of drivers will the Android support so that printers, controllers, USB sticks etc can be used.

The hack is fairly simply.  With a little amount of effort, it is possible to enable the B port of the Android as a host interface, meaning the cable USB hack supplies power and acts as the bus controller for connectivity.

You’ll need to make two things, a micro-dongle to enable the port (you plug it in during boot time) and a cable with the right connectors on each end (for connecting your peripheral). To do this you’ll need three cables:

• A car charging cable (off-the-shelf at the Verizon store)
• A Micro-USB cable (as above)
• A USB extender cable (the teeny ones that sometimes come free with USB keys work great)

The full write up and USB hack can be found here.

It was a smooth ride switching to a dedicated server.  It’s all live now.  Ping us if you see anything broken.

Thanks,
Gmo

MSN did a nice article today about 9 new tech gadgets you can make with the stash of old stuff you probably have laying around.  One which fits into the USB category, is this USB fan.

Retro and cool looking, you can put together a nice desk fan with just an old tower or power supply fan along with solder and USB connector.

Other new tech gear from old gadgets include a stone age cell phone tricked into a portable safe.  Scanner table where you can display items under the glass cover of the scanner and a USB mouse turned up-side-down and carved out for a plant holder.

Not the most impressive conversion, but a fun article to read on your break or lunch hour.

MSN 9 Uses for Dead Tech Gear…

MacBook laptops don’t come with VGA out or DVI out connectors for extending one’s video screens to more then the MacBook itself.  Today Wisair announced a solution for just that with their Wireless USB DisplayDock Set.

Wisair’s DisplayDock solution allows Mac users to connect to a monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers, via a single wireless link with a single adapter that connects to a USB port on the MacBook.  Since we haven’t seen a big offering to help out MacBook users we expect this to be a big hit with the MacFanBoys.

Wisair will be OEMing the solutions via three vendors [Atlona, Source R&D, Cables Unlimited and Olidata in the UK.

Some major points to consider:

• Point to point plug and play USB wireless
• Universal solution for MacBooks
• Distance up to 30 feet
• Doesn’t load over WiFi so your internet USB gadget surfing remains fast
• Wireless video supports up to 1440 x 1050 screen resolution
• Mac Leopard (10.5) and Snow Leopard (10.6) OS support.

No price yet was announced from the Press Release or OEM sites.  Product will be available the first of March.

Press Release

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jungo Ltd., a leading provider of connectivity systems and driver development tools, today announced the release of its ZeroDriver software, which enhances the user experience by enabling seamless connectivity between USB data cards (both 3G and 4G) and any laptop or PC, without the need to install drivers or applications on the host PC.

“We are pleased Jungo supports USB technology, by extending the simplicity and broad capabilities of USB to its customers.”

ZeroDriver supports all data card features that in the past have required drivers or additional applications, including dial-up and high speed browsing, voice calls, SMS, diagnostics, network statistics and more.

Equipping a data card with ZeroDriver is a highly cost-effective and user-friendly solution, for example, it reduces installation support calls to a minimum, maximizing user satisfaction and in turn, increasing ARPU. With support for HSPA+ bandwidth standards, ZeroDriver is fast and extremely flexible – it is easily ported to a variety of hardware mobile platforms.

ZeroDriver is currently available for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 and is compatible with a wide range of PC applications, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, MS Office, Thunderbird and more. Future versions will support Mac and Linux. ZeroDriver is also available in “installation mode” for operators who want to offer enhanced system support.

“Due to its ease of use and global availability, USB has become the standard interface between mobile broadband modems and PCs,” said Jeff Ravencraft, president and chairman, USB Implementers Forum. “We are pleased Jungo supports USB technology, by extending the simplicity and broad capabilities of USB to its customers.”

The Stanza app is a program for the iPhone which is an eBook reader.  It is slick software, easy to use, and allows you to load books via USB cable.  Well, it did.

The latest update from iTunes for the Stanza app indicates the USB connectivity feature will be removed from the application.  So if you want it, don’t update it.

The Washington Post called the maker, Lexcycle, and asked about the details and their spokes person said, “[Lexcycle is] forbidden from discussing the specifics of the conversations with Apple on this matter.”

It’s fair to say that Apple is keeping complete control of the device so that additional storage [non iTunes content] cannot be loaded along with reducing any virus possibilities hitch-hiking in via removable storage.

To learn more visit the Washington Post article.

iBin is a portable application designed for USB stick so users can restore files which have been accidentally deleted.  Since Windows does not redirect a deleted file off the OS into the Recycle Bin, once a user clicks delete, it’s gone forever [well unless you use restore tools to get it back], but iBin resolves that problem.

iBin puts your deleted files in a container on the USB drive itself and sits quietly until your custom flash drive gets to capacity, then you’ll need to do a bit of house cleaning.

iBin includes a collection of management features to set the preferences of the iBin.  Items such as confirmation of where to put the “deleted” file, iBin size, how to erase and when to dump the iBin data.

All in all, this is an excellent application for users to add one additional layer of safety for the delete button.

This is a Windows based product and runs on all OS’ from Microsoft, including Windows 7.