Tag Archives: Bluetooth4.0

HTC One drops by Bluetooth SIG with Android 4.3

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HTC One drops by Bluetooth SIG with Android 4.3

Android 4.3 keeps popping up left, right and center and it's most recently been spotted running on an HTC One in the Bluetooth SIG. It's no secret that the new version of Jelly Bean will finally support Bluetooth 4.0 out of the box and enable Android phones and tablets to connect with a whole new category of devices like the Kevo lock we played with at CTIA. The handset is named "PN071xx_Android 4.3_G" in the July 5th listing -- which matches the HTC One's model number (with "G" likely denoting the Google Play edition) -- and shows compatibility with Bluetooth 4.0 LE. With this much evidence building up, we're pretty sure the official launch of Android 4.3 is just around the corner. Are you ready for it?

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Via: PhoneArena

Source: Bluetooth SIG

Gajah unveils E Ink case for iPhone 5 and Galaxy Note II, out next month for $129

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Gajah InkCase looks to beat Popslate to the punch with $129 E ink iPhone 5 case

Popslate's much hyped E Ink case still isn't available half a year after it was announced, and now it could be beaten to the punch by an upstart called Gajah. The latter company's InkCase screen cover popped up at Computex 2013 and bears a Kirf-like resemblance to Popslate's nifty creation, which achieved its funding goal on Indiegogo last year. Gajah's iPhone 5 version will carry a 3.5-inch, 360 x 600 E Ink display, Bluetooth 4.0 compatibility and Popslate-identical $99 price tag, while the Galaxy Note II model will sport a 4.3-inch, 600 x 800 screen, BT 2.1 and $129 sticker. The latter model will roll out in China and Malaysia first, followed by the iPhone 5 model and a possible Galaxy S 4 model after that, if sales justify it. Having its crowd-funded idea "borrowed" before it even hits the market is probably a good sign that Popslate is on to something, but we're not sure that they'll be flattered by this imitation.

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Source: Engadget Chinese (translated)

Broadcom intros a trio of 802.11ac WiFi chips for PCs and set-top boxes

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Broadcom chipset

Broadcom has focused most of its 802.11ac WiFi efforts this year on high- and low-end mobile chips. Today, it's swinging that attention back to bigger machinery like PCs and set-top boxes. The company's new BCM4350, BCM43556 and BCM43558 all carry more robust, 2 X 2 MIMO antennas that help them hit 866Mbps speeds and optimize traffic through beamforming. Any differences, Broadcom notes, revolve around everything but the WiFi. The BCM4350 carries a more PC-like set of interfaces that includes Bluetooth 4.0, PCI Express and SDIO 3.0; the BCM43558 drops the PCIe and SDIO in favor of USB 3.0, while the BCM43556 also sheds Bluetooth. Although we don't know which companies plan to use the nimbler wireless technology, it should ship to gadget makers in the second half of this year.

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Source: Broadcom

Fitbit now syncs to Galaxy S 4, broader Android device support is coming

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Fitbit now syncs to Galaxy S 4, broader Android device support is coming

The state of Fitbit wireless syncing is far from ideal for Android users, but the company's latest step is proof that it's slowly getting better. Today, Fitbit updated its Android app to bring wireless syncing to the Galaxy S 4, which follows a previous update for the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II. According to Fitbit's blog, its difficulty in supporting more devices stems from software differences on various Android smartphones, which causes trouble regardless of whether the device includes Bluetooth 4.0. On the upside, just yesterday, the Bluetooth SIG announced that Android will gain support for Bluetooth Smart Ready and Bluetooth Smart devices in the coming months, which Fitbit reckons will solve much of the compatibility issues that it and other device manufacturers have faced. So, if you have a Galaxy S 4, take the opportunity to get syncing your fitness data today -- it won't be long before other Android devices get to join in the fun.

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Source: Fitbit

Android to get built-in Bluetooth Smart Ready support this year

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Android to get builtin Bluetooth Smart Ready support this year

As powerful as Android can be, Bluetooth is one of its glaring weaknesses: the absence of a default Bluetooth framework has led to inconsistent implementations from both device builders and app developers. Google is at last covering that gaping hole, however. As hinted earlier today, it's incorporating Bluetooth Smart Ready support (that is, Bluetooth 4.0 on a dual-mode chip) in an upcoming version of Android. Having a common platform should allow for more reliable behavior, not to mention fewer roadblocks to using low power Bluetooth Smart (single-mode Bluetooth 4.0) devices like the Fitbit Flex. There's only one catch that we can see, so far: when Google hasn't said how soon we'll get that Android upgrade, wireless peripheral lovers will have to remain patient.

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Source: Bluetooth Blog

Bluetooth 4.0 support comes to the Nexus 4, might be headed to stock Android too

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LG Nexus 4 with Bluetooth 40 support shows up on Bluetooth SIG

The five-month-old LG Nexus 4 just showed up on the Bluetooth SIG for a second inspection. The SIG's site appears to be down right now, but TechTastic took a screen grab which lists the revised handset as supporting Bluetooth 4.0. This is interesting, because up until now the Android Open Source Project hasn't supported this Bluetooth spec or its Low Energy mode, meaning that the original Nexus 4 couldn't use it despite having the necessary hardware. Judging by the appearance of this SIG listing, Bluetooth 4.0 support for stock Android could be announced at I/O later today. Oh, and while we're on the subject of a potentially updated Nexus 4, there have been more sightings of a white version in Dubai (shown above). Ripe for another I/O giveaway?

Update: The SIG is back up, so we've added it as a source link below.

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Source: TechTastic, TechView, The San Francisco Android User Group, Bluetooth SIG

Fitbit Flex review

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DNP FitBit Flex Review

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We have truly entered the era of the quantified self. Editorials are shouting it from the rooftops, technologists are snickering "I told you so" and you, dear consumers, are just eating it up. If there's some sort of personal metric you'd like to monitor and view in a pretty little chart, there's a product out there to help you do it. Now, that doesn't necessarily reflect a mature market rather than a fleeting fad. But we'll say this: companies both big and small are offering a number of products for this growing niche and some have built their entire portfolio around a lineup of personal tracking devices. Fitbit is obviously one of those companies and, with the One, Zip and Aria WiFi scale already on the shelves, it's got a pretty robust set of options for those looking to turn their entire lives into a collection of infographics. With the Flex, though, it truly rounds out its offerings with a wearable band in the style of the Jawbone Up and Nike FuelBand.

There are, of course, a number of differences between all of these products -- not the least of which is price. At $100, the Flex undercuts its most direct competitors by at least $30. There's also support for Bluetooth 4.0, which delivers wireless syncing on both Android and iOS. The question is, does the Flex deliver enough at that price point to make it a clear choice?

Gallery: FitBit Flex review

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Automatic Link connects phone and car for better driving, we go hands-on (video)

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Automatic Link handson and test drive

Scanners that can read data from your car's OBD-II port (which is in every car built since 1996) aren't exactly new; they're on-hand at every mechanic's workshop and curious car enthusiasts can buy them from most hardware stores. But few port readers are consumer-friendly enough for the everyday driver to grok.

Enter the newly announced Automatic Link, which uses Bluetooth 4.0 and a paired smartphone to deliver diagnostic info with a decidedly novel twist. Instead of just hard facts, it offers an innovative array of features that range from monitoring driving habits, dialing 911 in case of an accident and even letting you clear a check engine light if you can fix the problem yourself. Join us after the break where we give the Link a bit of a test drive, speak to Automatic's lead product guy and find out a bit more about the potential of this tiny plastic nub.

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Source: Automatic

Insert Coin semifinalist: smARtPULSE is a hackable Bluetooth oximeter

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Insert Coin semifinalist smARtPULSE

Oximeters aren't exactly the sexiest gadgets in the world, but they're definitely quite useful. Monitoring pulse and blood oxygen levels are important for patients in hospitals, athletes trying to squeeze every last drop of performance from their body and anyone making a sudden trip to high altitudes. smARtPULSE uses pretty standard photodetection technology for tracking oxygen levels, but its ability to tether to a whole host of other devices via Bluetooth 4.0 is what really sets it apart. There are free Android and iOS apps for those that just want to check their vitals and be done with it, but tinkerers can have a field day with the open-source hardware and upcoming API. At the end of the day, connecting the smARtPULSE to any computer (be it Linux, Windows or OS X) will be pretty simple, and there will even be libraries available for Arduino, Raspberry Pi and Electric Imp. With the prototyping out of the way, now the team is finishing up the API and ironing out the final design.

Check out the full list of Insert Coin: New Challengers semifinalists here -- and don't forget to pick a winner!

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Asher Levine’s fall 2013 fashion line goes future forward

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Asher Levine

Children of the '80s, you'll want to remember this name: Asher Levine. He's the young designer behind an also young label poised to make Marty McFly's vacuum-powered jacket from Back to the Future Part II a real-life retail item. But more on that in a bit. As you might've already guessed, Levine's brand is atypical of the industry, one based upon the incorporation of technology and innovation with style. It sounds strange when you consider this is fashion we're talking about -- a notoriously stodgy industry predicated upon its historical archives -- but then again, this is the very same designer that teamed up with MakerBot for his fall 2012 collection. Oh, and did we mention he dresses the likes of Lady Gaga and will.i.am? There's that, too.

While that last crossover collaboration employed MakerBot's Replicator for 3D-printed eyewear, Levine's current fall / winter 2013 line is taking things into a less cumbersome, more practical realm. Through a partnership with Phone Halo, a company focused on mobile Bluetooth solutions, apparel in this new collection will feature integrated tracking chips to help high-end clientele locate lost or misplaced luxury items via a customized TrackR app. So forget about last season's trends, Levine is committed to pushing things forward, while also daring to dream a little sci-fi dream.

Gallery: Asher Levine

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