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Do you happen to know whether the Nexus One's battery is charged while being connected via the USB cable to a PC?

If so, is this standard behavior for all Android devices that have a USB port?

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4 Answers

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I don't know about the N1 in particular, but as far as I know, most (if not all) phones charge via USB so long as the USB port provides enough power. My Motorola Droid and G1 charge via USB. My Nook Color and Motorola Xoom (tablets) do not charge via USB.

However, do note that it is faster to charge with the phone plugged in to a power source instead of a USB port.

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Your last point is completely dependent on the USB port and the charger? Standard powered USB ports put out 500 to 900 mA at 5V and microUSB AC wall chargers (at least the one's I've seen in the US) usually range between 500 to 1000 mA. Your statement is probably true in most cases but if you have a 900 mA USB hub on your computer and a 500 mA wall charger the USB port is going to give a faster charge. – Matt Mar 29 '11 at 17:00
@Matt You're completely right, it does depend on the current. I generalized since that usually seems to be the case. – Bryan Denny♦ Mar 29 '11 at 18:07
@Matt: The USB standard says 500mA is the max current a device can expect from a USB port. Yes, some ports these days are capable of delivering more, but they are not required to. – MBraedley Mar 30 '11 at 10:52
There may be ports that provide more than standard current, but I haven't encountered this because most USB charging devices will charge at 500ma or lower unless plugged into something they determine to not be a data port (usually because the data pins are shorted). – Saiboogu Apr 1 '11 at 13:31
up vote 7 down vote

Yes, though it will charge slower than if plugged in to the mains supply and some USB ports are powered better than others.

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Yes, I own an N1 and this is often how I charge it. I've owned and worked with other Android devices, and all of them will charge from a powered USB port (although slower than from an electrical outlet).

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Yes, but in my case, I had an usb hub installed with 7 ports ( which can be put on top of my desk - making it easier to plug in usb devices ). This hub could funtion with or without an electric adaptor (not sure how to call the plug which goes into the electricity outlet).

Using this usb hub with a memory stick was fine, but when I wanted to plug in my Android device (or for that matter my ipod), I had to make sure the external power adapter for this usb was connected to the outlet.

Got some weird things if the hub did not receive enough power. I'm sure some of the guys here at the forum can explain why :)

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Because without plugging in the external power adapter, the hub relied on the host PC's USB port for power. That port provides a max of 500ma. That 500ma of power must power the hub as well as being shared among the devices attached. That's fine for thumbdrives, but when the phone requests charging power -- Not enough juice available. The external power adapter allows the hub to supply 500ma on each port. – Saiboogu Apr 1 '11 at 13:33

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