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> It has absolutely nothing to do with bluetooth besides the name Not really true. APIs on Android are mostly the same with a small new set of classes. HTC an
by lnanek2 13y ago
> It has absolutely nothing to do with bluetooth besides the name
Not really true.
APIs on Android are mostly the same with a small new set of classes. HTC and Samsung and Broadcom have an API for over a year now and there's an Android standard one in the latest Android announced at Google IO. Enabling and pairing and device discovery are all the same from the Android side, though. Maybe an extra constant indicating the device type.
Additionally, it's from the same group as Bluetooth, you often buy adapters and scanners and equipment and test software that are dual mode. This is why BLE is destroying older protocols for the same thing like ANT. ANT was never used much outside a few fitness and medical devices. BLE is all over the place since devices often have a Bluetooth chip in them anyway, so it isn't much more to make it dual mode. Many Android phones support BLE now.
Also in that area, the big Bluetooth Unplugfest conference and testing event is there for BLE just like Bluetooth. So all the companies that go to get Bluetooth certified are there with the BLE offerings.
- tadfisher 13y agoUnfortunately, the Android BLE API only supports half of the standard, as Android devices cannot be placed in peripheral mode. This is something Apple released on day 1, and it's slightly infuriating when creating cross-platform applications. There is no good, non-hacky way to do local radio comms between iOS and Android, and it stinks. Here's hoping Kit Kat rolls out with full BLE support.
- JimDabell 13y ago> This is something Apple released on day 1 Actually, iOS had support for acting in central mode only in iOS 5 and added support for acting in peripheral mode in iOS 6.