alt236 Development

[Home] [Android] [USB Device Info]

USB Device Info

Description

Android 3.1 introduced USB host mode which allows the user to plug USB devices to your Android tablet in the same way as a Desktop PC and extend its functionality (if the tablet has the correct drivers of course).

This application will provide information about almost all currently plugged-in USB device (see below for more info about the 'almost').

Information includes:

  • The Device class
  • The USB device path
  • The Vendor ID (VID) and the Product ID (PID).
  • A List of all interfaces and their endpoints.

No ads.

This application uses two different methods to collect information:

  1. Android mode will use the native android USB API.
  2. Linux mode will parse /sys/bus/usb/devices/.

Each mode (Android/Linux) will provide slightly different information. For example Android mode will give you more information about a device's endpoints and interfaces, while Linux mode will give more information about the device itself (serial number, how it identifies itself, etc.)

Screenshots

PCI Vendor ID DB Screenshot 1

 

PCI Vendor ID DB Screenshot 1

Notes

  • If you download the accompanying databases, the application will also be able to provide you with additional info such as the Vendor of the device (which is not necessarily the brand!), the vendor's logo and the product name.
  • The Vendor ID database is the one used by my "USB VEN/DEV Database" application. Updating in one application will also update the other.
  • As this application is using the default Android API some devices might not appear. USB Hubs (and devices connected to them) are invisible event though they seem to function properly, and mice seem to be filtered out of the provided list. I'm looking into ways to fix this.
  • Export to file/email and Device Subclass resolution will be added in the next version.
  • I wrote this application as an exercise to explore fragments and the new USB host API. Hopefully it will be useful to someone else.
  • The database is parsed from: http://www.linux-usb.org/usb.ids

Changelog

  • v0.0.1 First public release
  • v0.0.2 Fixed a few string errors.
  • v0.1.3 Added "Hide" button. Changed SD card DB name to android_usb.db3.
  • v0.1.4 Changed minimum OS to 1.6 to support larger screens, fix for FC on DB download.

Permission Explanation

  • ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE: Used to check if the device is on-line and using which interface.
  • INTERNET: Used to go on-line and download the updated database.
  • WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE: Used to write the database to the SD card.

Acknowledgements

  • All logos are the property of their respective owners

Sourcecode

You can download the sourcecode from GitHub: https://github.com/alt236/USB-Device-Info---Android

Licensed under the Apache Licence 2.0: http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.txt

Download

To download the application you'll need to go to the Android Market and search for "USB Device Info".

Alternatively, use an application like Barcode Scanner to scan the QR code below (or click on it from your Android device):


Home   Contact   Blog   Curriculum Vitae   Disclaimer

Mobile and Web Analytics