Ok, you just bought the smartphone or tablet. Immediately, you have to buy more stuffs to make it add more value to you. These are accessories and they cost money. Those are hands-free, docking cradle and many more. At the end you cannot afford all and you get annoyed with your gizmo.
What if there is a better way than spending too much money you hadly have? Oh yes, Google just decided to fix that. It is opening up accessory creation to everyone on the Android platform during Google I/O. It has done this by releasing the Android Open Accessory Development Kit (ADK) which effectively allows anyone to own accessories the right way – low cost.
They have created kits that simply this process that more choices are available for you. The end result is a simple system of using your Android device for new functionality controlled by a piece of hardware you have made compatible using the ADK. That could be a homebrew method of adding a keyboard for a tablet, or a wireless system for controlling the temperature and lighting in your home. Want a wireless gamepad for Android gaming? You can now make the controller yourself.
ADK is open – if you understand it, you make money and sell stuffs. But note:
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Accessory mode is ultimately dependent on the device’s hardware and not all devices will support accessory mode. Devices that support accessory mode can be filtered using a
<uses-feature>element in your corresponding application’s Android manifest. For more information, see the USB Accessory Developer Guide.
To learn more about ADK, visit the Android Developers ADK web page; or if you need a professional to help you, visit Fasmicro.
Fasmicro Android Dev Division
Owerri, Nigeria
