The Apple iPad doesn’t have a webcam, so you can’t use it to take photos or videos or engage in video chats. But Apple does offer a $29 adapter that lets you import photos and videos from a digital camera or SD card. And it turns out that’s not all the Camera Connection Kit is good for.

The kit began shipping recently, and users are reporting that you can use the USB attachment to plug in a USB keyboard or a USB audio headset. The keyboard support isn’t a big surprise, since Apple also offers a keyboard dock for the iPad. But this is the first time I’ve heard anything about support for USB audio peripherals.

TidBITS reports that you can use a headset to make VoIP calls over Skype, and that the audio quality is excellent. You can also use a Bluetooth headset with the iPad.

While the connection kit will help the iPad recognize some peripherals, it doesn’t offer full USB support. External hard drives aren’t recognized. And even with the SD card adapter, you can only import photos and videos to the iPad. You can’t copy files from the iPad to the SD card.

via TUAW

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9 replies on “iPad Camera Connection Kit adds USB headset, keyboard, camera support”

  2. Don’t worry. Now that they know about it these “features” will be “fixed” in the next update…right out of existence.

  3. I never expected to be able to copy anything out to SD. There’s no file selector for that. The keyboard is a surprise to me. I don’t care about Skype.

  4. See this is the reason Steve Jobs is a @#$%^&* %$$hole. He doesn’t put USB on the device, but then his $30 dongle taht he makes you pay for in your own blood is crippled.

  5. figures that there would be limitations. the headset support is a surprise indeed.

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