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Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2012-09-15, 11:42

I think what Luca means is that the Android sets are re-using the microUSB port and wires, but pumping an HDMI signal through them instead of a USB signal, when you want video out.

So while it's using a microUSB port, it's not using the USB protocols.

In other words... it's a proprietary re-use and co-opting of USB to do something different. Which, strictly speaking, is against the usual agreement of licensing a standards port in the first place. Remember Sony's re-use of a USB port for DisplayPort because they didn't want to pay for the DP port license? Remember how they got slapped down for it by the USB consortium? I'm not sure how this is different.

But golly it makes for good PR in some circles. "We're using microUSB for *everything*!" "Yaaaaaay!"

Meh.

And that's before we get into the power limits/requirements of USB... IIRC, USB3 currently has a 0.9A limit, while the iPad draws 2.0A. Again, while the Nexus 7 does that via microUSB, it's again breaking the standard in doing so.

Yay standards.
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