USB On-The-Go

[time]

I found this fantastic demo of what you can actually do with the 'USB' port on the Galaxy S3, including USB On-The-Go and MHL (with Bluetooth thrown in for good measure). A PC keyboard(!), external speakers, 3 different game controllers, flash drives, a 2.5" external HDD, a USB hub, an HD TV, etc. I highly recommend watching it; I was blown away with the possibilities this opens up.

 

[CityK]

Yeah, there is a lot of potential, but I don't really find that video too enlightening .... I was more inspired when I saw this (two year old) stuff: http://sven.killig.de/android/N1/2.2/usb_host/

DLNA (or whatever its being called now) or WiDi or a some sort of development on those technologies --- offers up a whole new meaning to media on the go

 

[time]

Meh. AFAIK, the demo I linked to only required root access for one minor aspect (a controller mapping I think). The rest of it is now off the shelf.

Interestingly, I see that the manufacturer with by far the most models supporting USB OTG is Nokia, followed by Samsung and Sony. Just a glimpse of how, despite being in a dominant position with bleeding edge hardware, Nokia's management has managed to destroy the leviathan of the phone world.