ADK gives Arduino fans a new toy to mod their Android.Last month Google unveiled a gadget that wowed hardware enthusiasts. No, it wasn't a new phone or laptop, but the Android Accessory Development Kit (commonly known as, ADK).
Android has released a feature in its operating system that will allow mobile phones to interact and connect with accessories over USB. To help developers understand the new protocol Google defined, they have released the ADK, an Arduino Mega with a shield meant to demonstrate the capabilities of the hardware.
When announced last month, the few ADK's on the market immediately sold out. I was lucky enough to receive one from the Google team at Maker Faire. It has some impressive features that signal the types of projects Google may want Android developers to dream up.
The ADK comes with a joystick, three RGB LED's, a temperature sensor, a light sensor, a capacitive touch sensor, as well as a relay and terminal block for controlling motors.