Broadcom announces WiFi and Bluetooth combo chips for in-car connectivity

DNP Broadcom announces wireless automotive chips that combine 80211ac and Bluetooth 40

Be it PCs, phones, televisions or wearables, if it can go wireless, Broadcom wants in on the action. Today the company has added one more category to that list, and it's the car. Indeed, its new line of wireless chips is specifically catered for automotive use, and is decked out with the latest 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth Smart Ready technologies for smoother streaming between mobile devices and in-car displays. But the technology's scope doesn't stop there. You could also use it for smartphone remote control of your vehicle's settings, high-speed connectivity via LTE hot spots, vehicle-to-infrastructure communications and even the syncing of biometric data to make sure the driver isn't fatigued or drunk when he or she's behind the wheel.

Broadcom's current automotive portfolio consists of the BCM89335 5G WiFi / Bluetooth Smart Ready combo chip and the BCM89071 Bluetooth and Bluetooth Smart Ready chip, which are now in the sampling stage. Of course, as this is still in development, we're not sure just which cars will incorporate such tech just yet. Seeing as how more cars are getting connected, however, you'll probably see it in action at your local auto dealership sooner than you think. For more on Broadcom's automotive initiative, check out the press release after the break.

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Source: Broadcom

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

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