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Wow! This is really neat. The "IOIO" board, from SparkFun, is an easy way to get to get I/O from an Android device's USB connection (OS versions 1.5 and greater).
The board apparently uses a Java API to hook into your phone's app, and this means you can extend the functionality of the phone out to external sensors and controls!
See the video below, for example, of an app that hooks out to intelligently control an alarm clock...
SlashGear writes:
So, you could hook up the IOIO for Android and a couple of heat sensors, and whip up an app that measures room temperature and then emails you if it's getting too hot. Thanks to a range of I/O choices - including Digital Input/Output, PWM, Analog Input, I2C, SPI and UART control - you could also connect your home thermostat to automatically adjust the heating in response.
The board seems to be very well documented, and you can read a beginner's guide, and unzipp some example projects.
(By the way, it is pronounced "yo-yo", not dwarf-singing "eye-o eye-o"!)
According to SparkFun:
The IOIO board contains a single MCU that acts as a USB host and interprets commands from an Android app. In addition, the IOIO can interact with peripheral devices in the same way as most MCUs. Digital Input/Output, PWM, Analog Input, I2C, SPI, and UART control can all be used with the IOIO. Code to control these interfaces is written in the same way as you write an Android app with the help of a simple to use app-level library.
In other words, you can combine the awesome computing power, Internet/Bluetooth connectivity, touch screen, and a variety of sensors from your Android device with the ability to easily add peripheral devices to interact with the outside world. Also, using the IOIO does not require any hardware or software modifications to your Android device, thus preserving the warranty as well as making the functionality available to non-hackers.
The firmware is apparently all open-source (see the code base here) and the board is priced at $49.95.
Devices proven to work with the board are, say SparkFun: G1, Nexus One, Nexus S, Motorola Droid X.
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