Google’s Next Release of Android Uses Bluetooth Smart Technology to Connect

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At this year’s Google I/O, Google demonstrated tap-to-pay, step-by-step recipes, phone-to-watch functionality, and a new notification bridge. What did all of these scenarios have in common? Bluetooth technology.

The next version of the Android operating system – the L-release – designed for phones, tablets, and beyond, includes native support for Bluetooth Smart and Bluetooth Classic. This dual support means devices running L can connect to virtually any of the billions of Bluetooth enabled wearables, beacons, health and fitness sensors, phones, tablets, cars, and PCs in the world today, and those coming soon. This new OS is also one of the first based on Bluetooth version 4.1, which added the building blocks for IPv6 connectivity and opens the door for the “always-on” hub or gateway – an essential component to the smart home.

“L provides developers a super powerful Bluetooth Smart platform on which to innovate,” says Suke Jawanda, CMO, Bluetooth SIG. “With L + Bluetooth, Google is lighting up opportunities for themselves and developers, from the smart home to health and fitness devices, and beyond.”

Native in the new Android L operating system, Bluetooth Smart is the universal connectivity on which developers can build bridges between their wearable devices, sensors, and the billions of Bluetooth enabled devices in the marketplace. As part of the L-release, Google provides support for the central and peripheral mode of Bluetooth, giving developers maximum flexibility in their designs for current and future (think beacon and smart home) products.

Google has evolved the next version of Android to provide a seamless experience across all screens — including phones, tablets, TVs, wearables, and more. With native Bluetooth Smart support, not only can these types of devices connect to one another, but they can also connect to the hundreds of millions of diverse Bluetooth Smart appcessories and apps, those currently available and coming soon, that consumers are demanding and expecting to work together.

Bluetooth Smart technology is enabling the Internet of Things – lighting up use cases only previously imagined, and bringing wireless connectivity to practically any object. The secret to the success of Bluetooth Smart is the continued, and overwhelming, inclusion of native Bluetooth Smart support from device manufacturers and OS makers. Developers looking to take advantage of Bluetooth Smart can visit the Bluetooth Developer Portal for tutorials, sample code, applications accelerators, and to register for classes and webinars throughout the year.

For more on how Google, Apple, and Windows count on Bluetooth Smart to connect, visit:
http://www.bluetooth.com/ridethewave

For more information, visit:
http://www.bluetooth.com

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