iBeacon: Location via Bluetooth 4.0

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kQ4zaNFUFTij50xqRy-y5o8Uorz9HNMZKue-d_rJ9EW9tmGxuxhlXGm67J5n95KYnpnJ26uXJR6Wr2lzCICyLO1D5BZ8RJJAz7QKOXCb7_7mqpyAF4HsSIs81f8e4JL7pvrhIqtjemZW/s1600/Apple%E2%80%99s+iBeacon.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> iBeacon on Apple</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kQ4zaNFUFTij50xqRy-y5o8Uorz9HNMZKue-d_rJ9EW9tmGxuxhlXGm67J5n95KYnpnJ26uXJR6Wr2lzCICyLO1D5BZ8RJJAz7QKOXCb7_7mqpyAF4HsSIs81f8e4JL7pvrhIqtjemZW/s1600/Apple%E2%80%99s+iBeacon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBeacon" style="line-height: 16.796875px; text-decoration: none;">iBeacons</a><span style="line-height: 16.796875px;"> are an indoor positioning system promoted by Apple for </span><a href="https://developer.apple.com/ios7/" style="line-height: 16.796875px; text-decoration: none;">IOS-7</a><span style="line-height: 16.796875px;"> devices. </span><a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TEC_APPLE_IN_STORE_LOCATION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT" style="line-height: 16.796875px; text-decoration: none;">On Friday, Apple will begin using the technology at its 254 U.S. stores</a><span style="line-height: 16.796875px;"> to send you messages about products, events and other information – tailored to where you are inside, provided you have downloaded the Apple Store app and have given Apple permission to track you.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16.796875px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16.796875px;">iBeacon uses </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_low_energy" style="line-height: 16.796875px; text-decoration: none;">Bluetooth Low Energy</a><span style="line-height: 16.796875px;"> (aka Bluetooth 4.0 or Bluetooth Smart) to calculate micro location at key locations around a building. Apple is expected to make the iBeacon protocol public soon.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16.796875px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><div style="line-height: 16.796875px; padding: 15px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One London-based company uses <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/12/04/ibeacons-used-to-deliver-location-based-access-to-ios-newsstand-publications/" style="text-decoration: none;">iBeacons to sell subscriptions to digital magazines</a>. It also enables an establishment to enable access to full magazines to patrons who come in.</span></div><div align="center" style="line-height: 16.796875px;"><a href="http://estimote.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="new"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3678/11210243446_711c4051b2.jpg" style="border: none;" /></span></a></div><div style="line-height: 16.796875px; padding: 15px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">iBeacons can notify a device to send push notifications to devices within close proximity. Any compatible Bluetooth LE iPhone or iPad can be a iBeacon transmitter too. <a href="https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/CoreMotion/Reference/CoreMotion_Reference/_index.html" style="text-decoration: none;">Apple’s Core Motion framework</a> takes advantage of the new M7 chip inside the latest iPhone 5s.</span></div><div style="line-height: 16.796875px; padding: 15px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The location is based on signal strength and the results will put your location into one of three states – Immediate (approx 10 centimetres away), Near (approx 2 – 3 metres away), Far (approx 5 – 70 metres away).</span></div><div align="center" style="line-height: 16.796875px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/G8uOddjwXSI" width="540"></iframe></span></div><div style="line-height: 16.796875px; padding: 15px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Apple has already begun using one implementation of BLE iBeacons with the new ‘bump‘ setup for the Apple TV.</span></div><div align="center" style="line-height: 16.796875px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MUlYpCmtHbE" width="540"></iframe></span></div><div style="line-height: 16.796875px; padding: 15px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11ah" style="text-decoration: none;">The new 802.11ah Wi-Fi standard</a>, due in 2015 / 2016, has been designed to support the sort of sensor networks suited to Home Automation. It allows low rate 802.11 wireless stations to be used in sub gigahertz spectrum. It uses 802.11a/g specification down sampled to provide 26 channels, each able to provide 100 kbit/s throughput.</span></div><div style="line-height: 16.796875px; padding: 15px;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Source : <a href="http://www.dailywireless.org/2013/12/04/apples-ibeacon-bluetooth-4-0-for-location/">dailywireless.org</a></span></i></div><div style="line-height: 16.796875px; padding: 15px;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Image & Video : dailywireless.org</span></i></div>

iBeacon: Location via Bluetooth 4.0

 iBeacon on Apple iBeacons  are an indoor positioning system promoted by Apple for  IOS-7  devices.  On Friday, Apple will begin using the t...

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Bluetooth 4.1 prepares headsets to connect to the 'Net

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHTEK2mWLrhY3dYPG055a_J11ji90-NADpwB1nK746N1qyq_n_3kUdGn2OzEuy-qboVoPUz0MDIDStiaWzB9cayeaNveMeqiwDsKZ5lJjKBbCw_JRlrAyUkOi9FoBHrZN4KCIpZKebT_l/s1600/bluetooth-headsets-580-100099214-large.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHTEK2mWLrhY3dYPG055a_J11ji90-NADpwB1nK746N1qyq_n_3kUdGn2OzEuy-qboVoPUz0MDIDStiaWzB9cayeaNveMeqiwDsKZ5lJjKBbCw_JRlrAyUkOi9FoBHrZN4KCIpZKebT_l/s1600/bluetooth-headsets-580-100099214-large.png" /></a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Bluetooth 4.1</i></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span itemprop="articleBody description text"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The Bluetooth Special Interest Group said Wednesday that it had published Bluetooth 4.1, which prepares Bluetooth peripherals for the “Internet of Things” by allowing them to serve as both hub and peripheral devices, and paving the way for them to directly connect to the Internet. </span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"> Put another way, Bluetooth 4.1 devices like fitness trackers will be able to collate data from sensors like heart monitors and temperature gauges, then report back to a smartphone with their findings. In turn, those phones could be used as sensors that other devices can communicate with and pull data from. <br /> The update is the first major release since late 2010, when the SIG announced Bluetooth 4.0 or <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/242517/bluetooth_4_0_becomes_smart_what_it_means_for_you.html">Bluetooth Smart</a>, an update that reduced the power consumed by Bluetooth devices. A spokeswoman for the SIG said that she expects to see several chip companies announce Bluetooth 4.1-compatible products as soon as qualifications are enabled on December 10. <br /> </span><br /><figure class="right medium"><span style="font-size: small;"><figcaption></figcaption></span></figure><span style="font-size: small;"> And there’s some more good news: “The updates are all software related, so an over the air update can upgrade [Bluetooth] radios that are currently in market,” the spokeswoman added. <br /> The 4.1 release includes better cooperation between LTE radios and Bluetooth devices, to avoid interference. It also increases the “timeout” period between devices, so that removing your phone from your car’s Bluetooth system, for example, may not mean that it has to reconnect again after a short errand. <br /> Bluetooth 4.1 also supports bulk data transfers, so that information collected over the course of a run can be communicated at once from multiple sensors. <br /> Finally, the Bluetooth SIG also said that the new 4.1 spec also “lays the groundwork” for future IP-based connections between devices, in the same way that a router connects to multiple Wi-Fi devices. Specifically, the new iteration of the spec adds a standardized way to create a dedicated channel which could be used for IPv6 communications in the future, the SIG said. <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/257037/ipv6_five_things_you_should_know.html">IPV6 went live in 2012</a>, as a way to anticipate a future where virtually everything is connected—the standard supports 340 trillion trillion trillion addresses. (Or 340 times 10 to the 36th power, for you math whizzes.) <br /> “It’s not a mesh network scenario, but rather the beginning groundwork to make it possible for Bluetooth enabled devices to speak directly to the Internet,” the SIG spokeswoman said.<br /><i>Source : <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2068491/bluetooth-4-1-prepares-headsets-and-more-to-connect-to-the-net.html">PCWorld </a></i></span>

Bluetooth 4.1 prepares headsets to connect to the 'Net

Bluetooth 4.1 The Bluetooth Special Interest Group said Wednesday that it had published Bluetooth 4.1, which prepares Bluetooth peripherals...

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Lumen Bluetooth smartbulb challenges Philips Hue to offer app-controlled home lighting

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfGkZCz6i1AsS5ZwsrXmLP_TW5TWbRsxb1ArqWB_brzICI22RP3mqJrqDDgS2ZxYom-y-hUM9Qy9Drc49YkYARjL36l5aUzn8YRtPtgDpqYVPBuHqeGDLZEEi775FwzZFksmt_t3L9bnk/s1600/lumen-smartbulb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfGkZCz6i1AsS5ZwsrXmLP_TW5TWbRsxb1ArqWB_brzICI22RP3mqJrqDDgS2ZxYom-y-hUM9Qy9Drc49YkYARjL36l5aUzn8YRtPtgDpqYVPBuHqeGDLZEEi775FwzZFksmt_t3L9bnk/s640/lumen-smartbulb.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;">The smartbulb throne isn't exactly the most exciting one to occupy, but </span><a href="http://www.engadget.com/products/philips/hue/" style="background-color: white; color: #3399cc; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px; text-decoration: none;">Philips Hue</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;"> has its fair share of challengers, such as the freshly released Bluetooth-controlled Lumen. Similar to Hue, you can tweak not only the bulb's color, but also its intensity. In addition, several modes come baked into the light source, including one that programs the Lumen to flash whenever a call comes in, and another that syncs its effects with music. Unlike </span><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/05/philips-hue-br30-gu10/" style="background-color: white; color: #3399cc; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px; text-decoration: none;">Philips' fancy bulbs</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;">, though, the device doesn't need a WiFi hub to work -- it connects directly to an iOS or Android device loaded with its companion app. What's more, its creators claim the product consumes only one-sixth of the energy a 40W bulb does despite emitting comparable light. If a Bluetooth-connected bulb intrigues you -- even though the idea itself </span><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/19/bluetooth-bulb-lets-you-switch-on-time-dim-and-color/" style="background-color: white; color: #3399cc; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px; text-decoration: none;">isn't new</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;"> -- you can now snatch the Lumen online or from various retailers for $70.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Via:<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/26/lumen-smartbulb-on-sale/"> Engadget</a></span></i></span>

Lumen Bluetooth smartbulb challenges Philips Hue to offer app-controlled home lighting

The smartbulb throne isn't exactly the most exciting one to occupy, but  Philips Hue  has its fair share of challengers, such as the fre...

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