Hasta La Gadget!

Redpark’s iOS cable lets you interact with Arduino hardware through iPhones, iPods and iPads. Photo courtesy of Make

With the introduction of a new cable made for Apple’s iOS devices, hardware modders are no longer beholden to the Android platform alone to fulfill their hacking desires.

Electronics accessory builders Redpark introduced a serial cable on Monday, which lets you connect your iPod, iPad or iPhone devices to physical computing peripherals. After hooking your iOS device up to hardware like Arduino — one of the more popular open-source hardware platforms with the DIY community — you can download a software developer kit that allows you to control the unit using your iPhone like a remote control.

Over the past few years, open hardware computing platforms have grown in popularity. ARM Holdings’ mbed project gives non-programmer types the ability to program small computers known as microcontrollers, while encouraging integration with unconventional objects. In May, Android introduced its accessory developer kit (ADK) based on the Arduino hardware at its annual developer conference in San Francisco. Using the ADK and Arduino’s free software tools, those familiar with coding for Android can make programs that interact with other devices, from a simple LED to a remote-controlled robot.

While the iOS platform remains far from ‘open,’ Apple gave Redpark’s cable its official stamp of approval. That means unlike previously, you won’t have to jailbreak your iPhone to connect it to an Arduino unit.

The cable costs $60 from Redpark’s site, and works with devices running iOS version 4.3 and above.

Head on over to Make magazine for a great rundown of how to hook the cable up to your iOS device and get coding right away.

[Redpark via Make]