iPhone Opens Up Bluetooth For Data

WildNahviss writes "Apple has loosened its tight grip on the iPhone and allowed a third party to develop a health device that exchanges data with the iPhone and their hardware. Is this the start of a trend for Apple that will relax constraints on non-audio Bluetooth use, or is this an exception? Does anyone know of any other devices for the iPhone that allows non-audio Bluetooth transmission of data?" Reader climenole points out an article about another health-sensor system, dubbed a "body area network," that is built to work with Android devices, but not via Bluetooth.

Comments

This is the reason

[odies]

There is one really simple reason why Apple is now opening up their iPhone. They wont however do it fully, just a little bit. And the reason? Windows Mobile 7. From the announcement it looks like a real competitor for iPhone. You also aren't only capable of getting one kind of phone, you can get the one that suits you best.

WM7 will also have the app store and by the looks of the announemenet, intuitive UI and great user interface. It basically has everything that is good in iPhone, but gives you more freedom in choosing the type of phone you want.

If Apple doesn't start opening up things and let the kinds of Adobe and Flash on iPhone, people will move away to a superior platform. And by the looks of it, that is going to be WM7.

Re:This is the reason

[h4rr4r]

How much did you make for that comment?

WM7 will be stillborn, android already has any market share it would have had and RIM will keep the business market.

Re:This is the reason

[odies]

None of those are what Windows Mobile 7 is trying to compete with. They're going after somewhere between iPhone and Android, which is a sweet spot. I agree however, I don't Android is going to take off anymore. Not the same way as iPhone and WM7 anyway.

Even while Microsoft is now targeting more mainstream users it doesn't mean its not a good platform for business users. Integration with Office and other tools is great and WM7 doesn't have the childly feel that i associated with iPhone.

For gamers there is Xbox Live integration and the fact that developers can really easily port games between Windows, Xbox360 and WM7 is making it even greater. I think I should actually start developing some game for those platform, it's a sweet deal. And everybody knows that Visual Studio is the top class development environment, and Microsoft is even providing things like XNA that make the development a lot easier and faster.

This means it's going to be the game changer and has a really good possibility of getting a significant market share in the mobile market.

Re:This is the reason

[WrongSizeGlass]

It basically has everything that is good

Well, except cut and paste....

[types in 'cut and paste' into Windows Phone 7 help screen]
Hi! I'm Clippy! It looks like you would like to 'cut & paste', is that correct?
[taps 'Yes']
I'm sorry, Windows Phone 7, by Microsoft, doesn't support 'cut & paste' yet, would you like to 'cut & paste'?
[taps 'Yes' again]
[hourglass]
Hi! I'm Bob! Where would you like to go today?
[types in 'to get another phone']
[hourglass]
Hi! I'm Clippy! It looks like you would like to buy another Windows Phone 7, by Microsoft, is that correct?
[taps 'No']
[hourglass]
Hi! I'm Bob! Would you like to buy a Kin, by Microsoft?

Re:This is the reason

[node 3]

None of those are what Windows Mobile 7 is trying to compete with.

Clearly, WM7 is going after the market hole left behind by Kin.

Re:This is the reason

[jDeepbeep]

game changer.... market share

BINGO!

The Marketing Version Of Turrets

[RingBus]

It's like you have some bizarre version of Turrets Syndrome where instead of screaming obscenities you blurt out an endless stream of Microsoft marketing talking points.

Re:The Marketing Version Of Turrets

[rsborg]

It's like you have some bizarre version of Turrets Syndrome where instead of screaming obscenities you blurt out an endless stream of Microsoft marketing talking points.

Astroturfer Syndrome?

Paranoia and clichés

[theolein]

You know, not everyone who posts something that isn't mindlessly, absolutely pro-Apple/Steve Jobs/iPhone/iPad etc works for Microsoft.

Some of them work for Google.

Re:not so tight grip

[jonwil]

They opened it up. But every bluetooth device you want to talk to has to be built from scratch with a special Apple hardware lock (just like the special hardware lock in dock connector devices)
Wanna write (and put in the App Store) and app to talk to your LEGO Mindstorms NXT brick over Bluetooth from an iPhone? You can't because the NXT doesn't have the "Apple Approved" hardware lock.

Uhh, guys?

[nathana]

This is a non-story, at least how it is written.

As part of iPhoneOS (now iOS) 3.0, in June *2009*, Apple announced that hardware manufacturers would be able to have their hardware directly interface with their iPhoneOS applications, either through the dock connector OR through bluetooth. They have an official set of APIs built into the OS specifically to facilitate this.

I think it was cool that they did this over a YEAR AGO, but hey, that story doesn't make for as sexy a headline as "OMG Apple suddenly loosening their Death Grip on their iPhone hardware?!?!?!"

-- Nathan

P.S. -- No Apple apologist here; in fact, I'm generally very critical of the locked-down nature of the iDevices. But come on...let's strive for accuracy here.

Re:Uhh, guys?

[daBass]

I am working with a hardware company on this. The main issue we are having is that the whole program is tailored to high-volume manufacturers; little guys like us are below the Apple radar.

To apply for the program, you need to supply a lot of information, including company turn-over and a whole lot more that should be none of their business.

Then to make it work, you must integrate a chip supplied by Apple that does the authentication. That's great if you are starting from scratch and intend to send millions of products. It's a pain if you already have a working design with thousands of devices out in the field with bluetooth, but not Apple's chip.

That's what's stopped us from signing up and doing it. Luckily, in our business, people would be buying mostly tablet devices that are exclusively used for the purpose. Android here we come, which is a shame as iOS is a much nicer platform to create something that works well and looks good in very little time.

Re:Nike + iPod Sport Kit

[Anonymous Freak]

Nike+ uses the same (unlicensed) frequency, but it is not Bluetooth. The Nike+ iPod adapter is not a Bluetooth adapter.

Re:Win Phone 7 - Everyone Can Laugh At It Together

[Nursie]

Eh, not so much - you might want to take a look at the pie chart here

Nokia still capture 40% of the market with Symbian.

You point still stands though I suppose. But the order is -

1. Symbian
2. RIM
3. Android
4. iOS

Re:Every time the iphone gets "new features" ...

[hitmark]

And much of that was available on the Sony Ericsson T610 i got back in 2003/2004 (a featurephone). Bluetooth on US sold phones have been raped by carriers for ages, and is one reason why Nokia is a virtual no show in that market (they refused to let the carriers neuter phone features like voip and bluetooth).

And this is why i groan each time i read a US tech blog talking about mobile tech from a US == world perspective...