Phone makers have been toying with HDMI output for the last few years, but the functionality has been limited. You might have been able to stream some video to a larger display, but controlling the device still meant touching the screen. Starting with Honeycomb on tablets, and continuing with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), Google has started adding the features to Android for it to be a desktop replacement.

Asus has taken advantage of native mouse and keyboard support with the Transformer line of devices, and HDMI-out connectors are becoming more and more common on phones. With a few cables and some peripherals, you can run a desktop-like experience from the Android 4.0 phone that rides around in your pocket.

What you need

There are two ways to get HDMI output on your Android smartphone. Some devices have mini-HDMI ports that only require a HDMI-to-mini-HDMI cable or converter. Classic devices like the Evo 4G and almost all Motorola devices use mini-HDMI. This keeps the USB port free for external power or syncing while outputting video. These cables are also extremely cheap; on the order of a few dollars.

Other phones make use of the micro-USB port for video out through a technology called Mobile High-definition Link (MHL). This has become the more common method as it doesn’t require a second plug in the device. Because there is nothing externally different about an MHL-enabled USB port, many users don’t know their device has this capability. The HTC Sensation, Galaxy Nexus, and Galaxy S II are some of the more popular devices that use MHL. Make sure to check device specs before assuming a phone does or doesn’t support video out. MHL adapters are a bit more pricey at roughly $15. An additional standard HDMI cable is also needed, but those are a dime a dozen these days.

What makes this a useful setup is the robust mouse and keyboard support built into each and every Android 4.0 device, as well as the new on-screen buttons in Android 4.0. Almost any Bluetooth mouse and keyboard should be recognized, but some might not have quite the same level of support in software. All the standard functions should work, though.

Finally, and this is the big one, you need an Android 4.0 device. We’re using a Samsung Galaxy Nexus for testing, but you could use a tablet of some sort as well. When Ice Cream Sandwich begins to show up on more devices, many more users will have access to this functionality.

Next page: Setting up the display