How to read USB drives on your Nexus 7 without rooting

How to read USB drives on your Nexus 7 without rooting:
USB OTG: Does it really work on the Google Nexus 7?
YES it does!  But before we go any further, just what does USB OTG stands for and how can it be useful for Nexus 7 owners?

“USB On-The-Go is a specification that allows USB devices [such as the Nexus 7] to act as a host allowing other USB devices like a USB flash drive, [USB card readers], mouse or keyboard to be attached to them.” Source: Wikipedia

Since the Google Nexus 7 doesn’t come standard with SD Card slots to expand their storage capacity, being able to plug in your flash drives or USB memory card readers is the next best thing to having every other thing you want to consume on your Nexus 7 without using the cloud. And you can do this without having to root your device.
Think it can be useful for you? Ok here’s what you need to do:

• Get a USB OTG cable – You might want to read Calvin’s quest for that elusive cable.
• Install the Nexus Media Importer app from Google Play – make sure your device is compatible.

Now once you have the cable and the app installed, simply plug the USB OTG cable onto your Nexus 7’s microUSB port and plug your USB Flash stick or memory card reader on the other end. The Nexus Media Importer app will prompt you to launch the app and BAM you now have access to your files on your disk.

A shot of LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon at Legoland, CA

A caveat:
This app only lets you read/stream/copy files from your USB Flash drive or memory card onto your Nexus. Certain actions will require you to copy the files first to your Nexus such as uploading photos to Facebook or Instagram.  And other actions will require other apps such as watching movies in AVI format using a media player.
Isn’t this neat?  I hope future updates will eventually allow writing functionality so we can truly manage our external media on-the-go!