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Why Google Choosing Arduino Matters

Posted by timothy on from the every-vending-machine-everywhere-please dept.

ptorrone writes "Earlier this week at Google I/O, Google announced the Android Open Accessory kit which uses the open source hardware platform, Arduino. MAKE magazine has an in-depth article about why Google choosing the Arduino matters, why Google picked Arduino and some predictions about what's next for Apple's 'Made for iPod' as well and what Microsoft/Nokia/Skype should do to keep up."

5 of 118 comments (clear)

  1. As someone who tried this... by errandum · · Score: 5, Informative

    It already existed (an android-arduino "interface"). It only matters because google is behind it now (with an official API), but whoever wanted to do stuff before already could.

    1. Re:As someone who tried this... by alostpacket · · Score: 4, Informative

      AFAIK you need to have the accessory approved by Apple to connect via the docking port and there is a NDA/Licensing agreement that requires you pay Apple a certain amount for each accessory sold. You also have to purchase a chip from them to integrate your hardware. And they require you to submit your financial records/bookeping so that their auditors can be sure you are paying them the fee for every unit of your hardware you sell. This doesnt seem to apply to all accessories, but it does seem to be a real problem for a lot of them. http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/news/4272628 Also, if you dont, Apple will sue you: http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/04/apple-gets-go-ahead-to-move-against-unauthorized-accessor-makers.ars

      So, yeah, this could have real impact. Going out and grabbing an Arduino board vs all that draconian stuff is gonna be interesting.

      Obviously I have a bias here being an Android app dev, but I believe the two approaches to accessory development are vastly different. And just because Apple has a huge lead out of the gate does not mean they will retain it.

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  2. Re:Ideal for commercial applications? by icebraining · · Score: 4, Informative

    Well, you can use the same chip (ATmega2560) for any commercial application, so you can use the Arduino for prototyping and then reuse the code for the final product.

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  3. Not *just* Arduino by brian.swetland · · Score: 5, Informative

    Keep in mind that the *any* device that supports USB Host mode can be an Accessory. There's a full open source reference implementation for Arduino, but the protocols are documented and open and you can implement it on any hardware you like.

    Docs and Specs: http://accessories.android.com/

    Google IO Talk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7szcpXf2rE

  4. Re:Ideal for commercial applications? by aXis100 · · Score: 4, Informative

    I agree 100%. Arduino is like the legos of microcontrollers. I've used many plain Atmel microcontrollers before and there was a steeper learning curve, whereas Arduino has been very quick, cheap and FUN!

    There is also the benefit of reasonably standard IO wiring, so that when the community shares projects they are dealing with common hardware layouts.