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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."

15 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.

      --
      PocketPermissions Android Permission Guide
    2. Re:As someone who tried this... by sonamchauhan · · Score: 3, Informative

      Personal anecdote: while the docks fit, the ports are not (fully) backwards compatible.

      My IPhone 3GS (~2-years old) refuses to charge from an audio base station bought for my previous-generation IPod (~ 4 years old) -- placing it in the dock pops up an error on the phone that says "Charging is not supported for this accessory"

    3. Re:As someone who tried this... by garyebickford · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If we compare this to the car industry (as it used to be before it got all digified as well), there is/was a big industry making aftermarket parts - everything from brake shoes and taillights to radios. AFAIK nobody ever got sued by Ford for making a Ford-compatible steering wheel. I think the car makers basically felt that the accessory market (i.e. 'bells and whistles') helped their market. They were never particularly thrilled about aftermarket replacement parts, but they didn't stop it. Folks had, and still have, the choice to go to the dealer or go to NAPA - or JC Whitney. And sometimes it's better going to the dealer. Of course, while it's under warranty some things still have to be done by the dealer - but in most states the car makers can not disallow the warranty under if you get your oil change done by someone else.

      Of course, that's changing nowadays. Here in MA, Toyota successfully fought off an attempt to pass a state law requiring car makers to release the computer repair codes to third party repair shops, so they could hook up their expensive diagnostic machines and find what was wrong. (I don't recall if this was a legislative thing or a court thing.)

      While I agree that Apple may have the right to charge a toll for everyone crossing their bridge, I disagree that it's a good idea. Case in point was the recent article on /. about the demise of independent music because of Apple's 30% rake off the top. Another case in point - I haven't bought an Apple product since 1996, so that's about $30,000 worth of business they haven't gotten. I published software for the NeXT, and had Macs through the early 1990s, but I don't want to be locked into either them or MS. I want the on-ramps to the highway to allow ALL traffic that fits the lanes - I don't want separate ramps for MS, Apple, Google or whatnot.

      --
      It's easier to be a result of the past, but more fun to be a cause of the future! http://www.spacefinancegroup.com/
    4. Re:As someone who tried this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "Businesses who make money selling Apple connectors have to pay money to Apple. It's not onerous, it's business. "

      The key point you are ignoring is that under Apple's system, Apple holds *all* the cards. If you invest millions of dollars developing a new innovative accessory and they think it is a threat to them, or if they decide they'd rather sell it under their brand, then they will shut you down and you have no recourse thanks to the agreements you have signed. Yes this is "just business", but that don't mean it is *good* business and Google have just upped the ante fairly significantly. People used to dismiss Linux as an embedded platform all the time with a similar argument to yours and now Linux completely dominates the market, so the idea of open in the device space is already proven.

    5. Re:As someone who tried this... by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Informative

      The situation as I understand it, not being a lawyer but having done a fair amount of research on the subject, is that you may freely reproduce the part so long as it is covered by neither copyright nor patent and you don't reproduce any trademarks normally on the product, so you may have to do more than a simple mold and cast job even to just make a simple cast part.

      In practice a whole car is covered by a design copyright but not a single fender. You can sell all the bodywork at once but not a complete car wearing all of it. And even that is OK if you buy the bodywork from the actual manufacturer. Buying aftermarket bodywork and selling a car that looked just like another car might land you in court, but I don't know that it's ever been fully played out. For example the GT40 is being made in the original [body] design by multiple manufacturers.

      The situation vis-a-vis secret codes is that there are standard and non-standard codes, the standard codes are mandated in the specification but access to the non-standard codes is not. Further, IIRC only the powertrain codes must be implemented so body codes could just be undelivered unless you send a special command. This has led to a whole bunch of OBD-II snooping.

      Finally, the automaker (or anyone else) cannot deny you warranty protection for a replacement part unless they can show that the replacement fails to meet specifications. In the specific case of oil the oil is graded so you only need to buy a lube of the proper grade. In any other case they're going to have to provide specifications in court to prove that your part fails them.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  2. "magnetic core memory" extension board by ciaran_o_riordan · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A friend recently made a "magnetic core memory" extension board for an Arduino:

    http://www.corememoryshield.com/report.html

    Just an example (with pictures) of what can be done with these things. (Magnetic core memory was the main form of non-volatile memory for computers from the 50s through to the 70s.)

    --
    Expert in software patents or patent law? Contribute to the ESP wiki!
    1. Re:"magnetic core memory" extension board by betterunixthanunix · · Score: 3, Informative

      Magnetic core memory was the main form of non-volatile memory for computers from the 50s through to the 70s

      It was also the most commonly used form of RAM; I have an old Fortran textbook that says something to the effect of, "Semiconductor memory will probably become popular over the next decade." It is also the reason we still speak of "core dumps."

      --
      Palm trees and 8
    2. Re:"magnetic core memory" extension board by TENTH+SHOW+JAM · · Score: 4, Insightful

      There is nothing intrinsically special about Arduino in the same way there is nothing intrinsically special about Ubuntu. The thing that makes them special is the communities that build around them helping each other.

      This means that getting started with Arduino means I get to do cool stuff with microprocessors sooner. I actually implemented a link for fire panels over Ethernet using Arduino and some basic programming knowledge. I could have used a range of other systems to do the job but I selected Arduino because I could buy some of the "Shields" off the shelf and was able to make the rest using prototype boards.

      Time to market 3 weeks. Experience before with Microprocessors 0 weeks.

      --
      A sig is placed here
      To display how futile
      English Haiku is
  3. 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.

    --
    Dilbert RSS feed
  4. Re:Lame by Naurgrim · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I see I did not get in before the Arduino haters. Yes, I know, it's a simple board, I understand that it's not a PIC or whatever embedded thing you prefer. I accept that. But it's a nice, easy to use board. It's fun. You can do stuff quickly with it. It's good for quick little things. I'm sorry that us Arduino users don't measure up to your expectations. I'm not going to tell you that you are wrong for your embedded choices. Can I get the same courtesy?

    --
    .......You Are,
    ...What You Do,
    When It Counts.
  5. 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

  6. Re:Ideal for commercial applications? by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm not Bad Analogy Guy so I'll be a bit more literal: The point of Arduino is precisely that dumbed down programming environment, it brings the concept of basically making something computerised (to a point) to an a MUCH larger group of people than before. Right now there are tons of people out there doing things with these chips, making all kinds of little hacks and projects, that would ordinarily have thought "Hey what if I could do X? Oh, too complicated, what a damn shame" and are instead thinking "An arduino could probably do that".

    Now for anyone that really does know coding and how to work chips and whatnot giving them an Arduino and making them use it "normally" is like giving them Duplos, but it's still Strictly Better for everyone to have these kinds of easily accessible solutions around for all the people that DON'T know that kind of thing. Sure a lot of them basically just sit there in easy-mode and never go any deeper but others will learn more in time, and just having it THERE makes the concept that much more ubiquitous.

    --
    A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
  7. Re:Ideal for commercial applications? by hot+soldering+iron · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You just answered your own question, and you still don't understand?
    "it comes with some dumbed down programming environment for people who don't want to use C/assembler."

    Bingo!

    How many people do you know that were taught assembler in school? I was taught because I was in an industrial electronics program, emphasis on industrial manufacturing and maintenance. I think they quit teaching assembler to CS students in the mid '80s, and quit teaching C soon after, shifting to C++/Java. How many people do you think were programming PCs when you had to flip switches, as compared to just typing it in and hitting enter?

    CLUE: Make something convenient to use, and people will use it. Make it necessary, but inconvenient, and people won't. Are you sure you're smart enough to be allowed here?

    --
    When you want something built, come see me. If you want correct grammar and spelling, get a F*ing liberal arts student.
  8. 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.