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Are there Windows Phone 7 devices that have USB Host drivers so that my C# program can access data on a USB Flash Drive?

Dave
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  • Given the restrictions Microsoft has imposed on WP7, when even external exchangeable flash cards are not supported, I doubt that there would be a WP7 device with USB host. You might need to look at Windows CE probably. – Eugene Mayevski 'Callback Feb 27 '11 at 17:16

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You won't find many phones of any operating system which support USB host.

USB really isn't suitable for mobile devices - the USB specification requires a 5V power rail which really isn't suitable for a phone and its battery to support.

If you need expandable storage, I believe there are some phones with micro SD slots available (and there should be more of these available in the future) - although there are some restrictions about these - they're not really removable - see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2450831.

Stuart
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  • I've seen a few older devices that did USB hosting but no WP7 devices yet. Yes, perhaps rare but I think very useful for data sharing. I think this would best be allowed only while plugged in so as to not drain the battery so much. – Dave Feb 27 '11 at 17:42
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    Pragmatically, I agree with you 100%. However, I'd be very surprised if WP7 supports this - Microsoft aren't really allowing anyone to see the "file system" at present - it's all apps and hubs with private (isolated) storage. Moving forwards, I think "DropBox" and Windows Live SkyDrive style cloud sharing will be even more the focus of Microsoft's development - I liked this post recently - http://johntopley.com/2011/02/26/obituary-the-file-system-1973-2011/ – Stuart Feb 27 '11 at 17:51
  • Huh? There is absolutely no reason mobile phones should not have USB host and supply 5V. In fact, all the chip sets used in smartphones support USB host, but the manufacturers don't put the ONE CHIP on the phone that will make this all work (and then there's the software support which is available, but also not "installed" by the OEMs). This is a joke that we cannot connect flash drives to our dumbphones in 2011. –  May 24 '11 at 13:28
  • @Dave - the reason I've always been told is that USB and its 5V power requirement is too high for most mobile phones to support. That's why microSD is better suited for them. As to why more phones don't support pluggable SD cards... I think that is down to commercial rather than technical reasons! – Stuart May 24 '11 at 15:53