Android Quietly Commits to Better Support for Bluetooth
At nearly three and a half hours, you’d think Google would have been able to get all the news into its I/O keynote address on Wednesday.
But a few announcements missed the cut.
One of the more interesting was a commitment by Google to support advanced Bluetooth natively in its Android operating system. Google had supported basic Bluetooth for specific things like keyboards and headphones, but had yet to build in support for the latest version of the wireless technology.
The new move opens up opportunities for a range of new accessories, including very low-power devices.
“I think that opportunity is actually going to be huge,” said Steve Hegenderfer, director of developer relations for the group that oversees the Bluetooth specification. Hegenderfer said that Bluetooth devices have gotten so small that the batteries are sometimes the largest component.
But with support for low energy, Hegenderfer said he expects a wave of devices to hit the market in the next year that are powered by kinetic energy — basically, the energy created by a body in motion.
Google’s move will allow those developing such devices for iOS to offer the same products more easily on Android.
Apple already supports the latest version of Bluetooth, as does BlackBerry with BlackBerry 10 and Microsoft with Windows 8 (though not, as yet, with Windows Phone 8).
The lack of Android support has been a sore spot for developers because it makes an already fragmented hardware landscape even more challenging. Nearly all the devices shipping today have chips that support the latest version of Bluetooth, but until Google’s move, developers didn’t have a unified way to call on the Bluetooth functions.
Instead, developers had to tweak their code not only for particular versions of Android but also based on which Bluetooth chip was in use.
While Google announced its plans on Wednesday, support for the new Bluetooth won’t come immediately. It is due to arrive in a month or two, with the next update to the Android programming interfaces.
At nearly three and a half hours, you’d think Google would have been able to get all the news into its I/O keynote address on Wednesday.
But a few announcements missed the cut.
One of the more interesting was a commitment by Google to support advanced Bluetooth natively in its Android operating system. Google had supported basic Bluetooth for specific things like keyboards and headphones, but had yet to build in support for the latest version of the wireless technology.
The new move opens up opportunities for a range of new accessories, including very low-power devices.
“I think that opportunity is actually going to be huge,” said Steve Hegenderfer, director of developer relations for the group that oversees the Bluetooth specification. Hegenderfer said that Bluetooth devices have gotten so small that the batteries are sometimes the largest component.
But with support for low energy, Hegenderfer said he expects a wave of devices to hit the market in the next year that are powered by kinetic energy — basically, the energy created by a body in motion.
Google’s move will allow those developing such devices for iOS to offer the same products more easily on Android.
Apple already supports the latest version of Bluetooth, as does BlackBerry with BlackBerry 10 and Microsoft with Windows 8 (though not, as yet, with Windows Phone 8).
The lack of Android support has been a sore spot for developers because it makes an already fragmented hardware landscape even more challenging. Nearly all the devices shipping today have chips that support the latest version of Bluetooth, but until Google’s move, developers didn’t have a unified way to call on the Bluetooth functions.
Instead, developers had to tweak their code not only for particular versions of Android but also based on which Bluetooth chip was in use.
While Google announced its plans on Wednesday, support for the new Bluetooth won’t come immediately. It is due to arrive in a month or two, with the next update to the Android programming interfaces.
But a few announcements missed the cut.
One of the more interesting was a commitment by Google to support advanced Bluetooth natively in its Android operating system. Google had supported basic Bluetooth for specific things like keyboards and headphones, but had yet to build in support for the latest version of the wireless technology.
The new move opens up opportunities for a range of new accessories, including very low-power devices.
“I think that opportunity is actually going to be huge,” said Steve Hegenderfer, director of developer relations for the group that oversees the Bluetooth specification. Hegenderfer said that Bluetooth devices have gotten so small that the batteries are sometimes the largest component.
But with support for low energy, Hegenderfer said he expects a wave of devices to hit the market in the next year that are powered by kinetic energy — basically, the energy created by a body in motion.
Google’s move will allow those developing such devices for iOS to offer the same products more easily on Android.
Apple already supports the latest version of Bluetooth, as does BlackBerry with BlackBerry 10 and Microsoft with Windows 8 (though not, as yet, with Windows Phone 8).
The lack of Android support has been a sore spot for developers because it makes an already fragmented hardware landscape even more challenging. Nearly all the devices shipping today have chips that support the latest version of Bluetooth, but until Google’s move, developers didn’t have a unified way to call on the Bluetooth functions.
Instead, developers had to tweak their code not only for particular versions of Android but also based on which Bluetooth chip was in use.
While Google announced its plans on Wednesday, support for the new Bluetooth won’t come immediately. It is due to arrive in a month or two, with the next update to the Android programming interfaces.
Reportedly leaked Bluetooth roadmap hints at future iPhone, 'iWatch' features
A roadmap reportedly leaked from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) reveals what features the next three iterations of the wireless protocol have in store, including support for biometrics, indoor GPS, and IPv6.
Source: MYCE
The supposedly leaked roadmap from Bluetooth SIG, of which Apple is a member, details Budapest, CSA5 and Shanghai, the upcoming generations of the protocol set to roll out over the next three years, reports MYCE.
According to the publication, the confidential document shows that Bluetooth LE, or Bluetooth Low Energy, will be a major focus as consumers want extended battery life from devices that are ever decreasing in size.
Of the major features planned for debut, most interesting is an indoor positioning function that could go well with Apple's recent acquisition of WiFiSLAM, a small firm which created "indoor GPS" technology based on the Wi-Fi standard. The Bluetooth iteration, expected to be ready in a 2014 build, is based on an enhanced packet structure that allows for direction finding, asset tracking and "public indoor positioning."
In addition, work is being done to implement IPv6 into Bluetooth LE, which could feasibly bring a so-called "internet of things" to life. By assigning every Bluetooth-enabled device a unique identifier, or IP address, real-world objects can be located and accessed via the Internet. In order to function, generic gateways are needed to provide a bridge from device to an IP address. This is yet another issue Bluetooth SIG is working on, though no information was given as to when the technology will be ready.
Alongside the above features, future Bluetooth versions will bring faster connections, consume less power, extend range, and increase privacy.
As applied to current Apple products, the enhancements would be a welcome addition to devices like the iPhone and iPad. More intriguing, however, may be the methods in which the buffed LE protocol can be adapted for the much-rumored "iWatch." For example, the biometric profiles being built out in upcoming Bluetooth versions are in line with a prediction from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said the iWatch would focus on such features. He also noted that the device will most likely have a "secure user identification mechanism," an asset that can be enhanced with built-in IPv6 support.
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