Is WP8 supports USB on the Go?

[cwithoutfail]

I don' t have WP8 phone. I'm planning to buy lumia 820. But I wonder is WP8 can read&write usb like Android phones.

 

[stevethenerd]

You can access music/video/etc., you can't read USB devices on the phone.

Windows RT can...

 

[stui83]

Not all androids do OTG. Mainly flagships, sgs3 and HTC one x. There is no otg support in wp8. Its a little annoying but I'm sure Microsoft would prefer you use the SkyDrive integration as a means of flipping files around. I wish wp8 had all the USB driver support of windows rt but they have held it back. The micro SD card support is really cool though in wp8. It works like a USB mass storage device.

Be warned, the windows phone community seem to tolerate a compromise in features for beautiful design and UI. If the wp8 UI and product design doesn't float your boat then you may need to reconsider your intentions.

 

[cwithoutfail]

I like design of WP8.

I have another question about file manager. One of review of L820 writes "no system-wide file manager". Is that means I cannot browse in my sd-card like desktop windows?

 

[stui83]

That is correct, you can only access media from your SD card. I.e. Music video image. You can easily manage your SkyDrive files and folders though. MS seem to think local files are old methods and cloud is the future. You are thinking of 820, very fast internet speed on that one. If you are in a good area then cloud storage should work nicely. Think to yourself what files that you want to use on your wp8 which are not image, music or video and also bigger than one megabyte? There really aren't that many. I had a sgs3 which did all the things you mention but I rarely used these features. I prefer the minimal wp8 experience and I'm trying to get used to SkyDrive because I can see that it is the way of the future. Lumia 820 has removable shell, so you can swap out micro SD cards as much as you want.

 

[vish2801]

That is correct, you can only access media from your SD card. I.e. Music video image. You can easily manage your SkyDrive files and folders though. MS seem to think local files are old methods and cloud is the future. You are thinking of 820, very fast internet speed on that one. If you are in a good area then cloud storage should work nicely. Think to yourself what files that you want to use on your wp8 which are not image, music or video and also bigger than one megabyte? There really aren't that many. I had a sgs3 which did all the things you mention but I rarely used these features. I prefer the minimal wp8 experience and I'm trying to get used to SkyDrive because I can see that it is the way of the future. Lumia 820 has removable shell, so you can swap out micro SD cards as much as you want.

You mean there's a file manager which can show me which media files are there or you're talking about music,video,image application ??

 

[stui83]

Xbox music and video app will organize and play your music and video. Picture hub will allow navigation of you folder structure but only show you pictures. SkyDrive will allow traditional file management (I.e. Folder, files) but via the cloud. I think its easier for young people to pick this up, I'm slowly letting go and embracing the paradigm shift but its a little uncomfortable at first.

 

[JezzaDB]

That is correct, you can only access media from your SD card. I.e. Music video image. You can easily manage your SkyDrive files and folders though. MS seem to think local files are old methods and cloud is the future. You are thinking of 820, very fast internet speed on that one. If you are in a good area then cloud storage should work nicely. Think to yourself what files that you want to use on your wp8 which are not image, music or video and also bigger than one megabyte? There really aren't that many..

Sadly there is no option to access media from an SD card on my Lumia 920 and there aren't many video files that I could move between my SkyDrive on my 1.5 GB monthly quota. If there was USB OTG support then I could carry a teeny 32 GB flash drive with me and transfer files to the phone whenever and wherever I wanted. Maybe I should have gone with the 820. Or Android. Or even Symbian!

 

[Anthony Dabbraccio]

I came on here looking for this answer before I commited to a purchase, Verizon only has two top windows phones(8x or 928) and neither have an sd card slot, what good is mass storage support if you don't have a slot to utilize it. USB OTG would have fixed that problem for me and it doesn't even do that but android, IOS, etc all do. what good is sky drive if you have a small data plan. I was all excited to get get a new windows phone but it so limited on storage space that I'd need to carry my laptop around to manage my phones little storage space.

 

[Trevor Markgraf]

With Microsoft coming out with updates over time, we might see a system wide file manger especially with windows phone 8.1

 

[John20212]

USB on the go would be great; but one thing I am really missing from Windows Mobile days is a file manager on WP, I really hope Microsoft adds it soon.

 

[mprebich]

What about digital audio output through microUSB to a portable DAC?

The L920 (and above) can't be considered "flagship" devices until this is possible.

I enjoy the sound quality with the use of a portable headamp, but the Lumias and Windows Phone really need to support the use of an external DAC.

 

[N_LaRUE]

What about digital audio output through microUSB to a portable DAC?

The L920 (and above) can't be considered "flagship" devices until this is possible.

I enjoy the sound quality with the use of a portable headamp, but the Lumias and Windows Phone really need to support the use of an external DAC.

I don't see this as a major feature requirement. Is that because Android and iPhone do something similar? So unnecessary. What's wrong with wireless?

 

[N_LaRUE]

USB on the go would be great; but one thing I am really missing from Windows Mobile days is a file manager on WP, I really hope Microsoft adds it soon.

There's are limitations due to the way WP is setup that this may not be easy to implement. So I'm guessing it won't be like you expect if they do implement anything. Not everyone wants a file manager. There's a whole thread on this subject somewhere.

 

[N_LaRUE]

There are file manager apps available for those with SD cards. I suggest going here to look them up:

Search results for "file manager" | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United Kingdom)

I understand some are better than others. All have limitations due to API.

 

[N_LaRUE]

I came on here looking for this answer before I commited to a purchase, Verizon only has two top windows phones(8x or 928) and neither have an sd card slot, what good is mass storage support if you don't have a slot to utilize it. USB OTG would have fixed that problem for me and it doesn't even do that but android, IOS, etc all do. what good is sky drive if you have a small data plan. I was all excited to get get a new windows phone but it so limited on storage space that I'd need to carry my laptop around to manage my phones little storage space.

I understand you points. I think WP biggest downfall is concentrating too much on cloud storage as it isn't a solution for everyone. Unfortunately this has been a big side of MS innovation for the last few years and I don't see them changing this anytime soon.

 

[mprebich]

I don't see this as a major feature requirement. Is that because Android and iPhone do something similar? So unnecessary. What's wrong with wireless?

----
Maybe you are happy with the sound produced by the onboard dac, many are interested to use better dac equipment to feed headphone amplifiers, better earphones and headphones.
Just as with PCs, users have been using upgraded soundcards and external DACs to produce improved sound. A DAC-on-a-chip just doesn't compare in sound quality to an external DAC with its entire circuitry dedicated to producing the best sound quality possible. For some people this may not matter. But for those of us in search of high quality audio reproduction, it is a must.

I completely disagree with your point that it is unnecessary. Especially since, when you understand the functionality, simply being able to pass the digital audio directly to the microUSB rather than through the internal dac circuitry, this is not adding anything to the cost of the phone. And depending on which internal dac the phone has, this may simply be an internal OS function, just as Windows has been able to do for ages.

I suggest you consider others' feature requests as to how they might help expand the WP user base and not simply from whether YOU think it important. On top of that, those who buy music subscriptions such as Xbox Music and others, and listen often may also be the same users who care more about the audio quality. Hence, this again makes sense from an ecosystem standpoint.

Lastly, yes iOS and Android can do this. I knew that before buying my Windows Phone. WP8 is behind the curve on this technical functionality that has been in Windows for quite some time. I want it because I have had the functionality before WP, and not because I give a crap what the iSheep are doing. Nevertheless, iPhone is way ahead in audio quality. And WP does need to catch up on this simple functionality.

Peace, out.

 

[anon(123856)]

I came on here looking for this answer before I commited to a purchase, Verizon only has two top windows phones(8x or 928) and neither have an sd card slot, what good is mass storage support if you don't have a slot to utilize it. USB OTG would have fixed that problem for me and it doesn't even do that but android, IOS, etc all do. what good is sky drive if you have a small data plan. I was all excited to get get a new windows phone but it so limited on storage space that I'd need to carry my laptop around to manage my phones little storage space.

Completely agree. When I was shopping for a phone I ruled out the 8x (928 wasn't out yet) because of the non-removable battery and no storage expansion. I have a Lumia 822 and put a 32 GB card in it for photos and music. Despite the niggling little omissions, (file manager, USB OTG) I still like the phone very much.