Bluetooth Smart technology is helping to fuel the growth of the Internet of Things as it is integrated into millions of new devices daily – adding connectivity to everyday objects to make people’s lives easier and more efficient. The Bluetooth Smart Starter Kit, announced by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), is a comprehensive training package with hands-on labs, sample source code and videos targeted at developers. The kit takes the mystery out of adding wireless connectivity to your device and its accompanying application, allowing developers to easily take advantage of the rising popularity of Bluetooth Smart.
“There are more than three billion smartphones on the market right now, all with different operating systems, architecture and specs. But the one thing they almost all have in common is Bluetooth,” said Suke Jawanda, Bluetooth SIG CMO. “If you want your product to connect to these devices, not to mention future ones, you need to build with Bluetooth Smart. Our Smart Starter Kit takes the guesswork out of adding connectivity to a device, cuts time to market for developers and brings wireless convenience to consumers faster than ever before.”
The Bluetooth Smart Starter Kit uses hands-on labs to walk developers through building a Bluetooth Smart device and creating a Bluetooth Smart Ready mobile application. The free kit is designed to work with an Arduino board (not included) and includes sample code to get developers up and running. The Smart Starter Kit works regardless of what platform you are building for – Android, iOS, or Windows Phone.
“Bluetooth Smart semiconductor shipments increased by a factor of five in Europe in 2013, to 14.9 million units,” said Lee Ratliff, principal analyst, connectivity and IoT at IHS. “Looking forward, IHS forecasts a 62% compound annual growth rate in European shipments from 2013 to 2018. This degree of growth has product developers across the continent eager to get up to speed on the technology – any tool that helps developers learn how to build Bluetooth Smart into their devices makes it that much easier to bring these products to market quickly.”
“The European developer scene is buzzing with excitement about Bluetooth Smart and developers are looking for tools to help get them up to speed and creating apps and devices quickly,” said Andrew Farrell, CEO at Matchbox. “Bluetooth Smart is essential to creating products for the Internet of Things. Resources like the Smart Starter Kit that increase knowledge and help reduce time to market will be welcomed with open arms by developers throughout the region.”
The Bluetooth Smart Starter Kit is the newest component of the Bluetooth Developer Program on-demand offering, which also includes the Application Accelerator and Developer Portal. The program also hosts the Bluetooth Innovation Series – the only in-person, one-day training moderated by Bluetooth experts to get you building with Bluetooth Smart immediately available today. Registration for upcoming events in Beijing, China (June 4th), and London, UK (June 19th) is open now.
