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Bluetooth SIG launches dev studio to encourage development

Give me your lightbulbs, your locks, your net-enabled forks yearning to be free

A new software tool aimed at promoting Bluetooth development has been launched into Beta by the Bluetooth SIG.

It spans a broad range of skill sets, from those people who’ve never used Bluetooth but want to incorporate it into their apps, to experts who want to generate and distribute plug-ins. With The Internet of Things (IoT) being the fashion du jour there is a lot of emphasis on how low-power Bluetooth Smart can be used for interconnected toothbrushes, glucometers, heart-rate monitors, door locks, light bulbs and even fat-fighting forks.

The idea is that people making modules will contribute the code to use them and then those who might put the modules into their stuff can easily access the code libraries. The tool is drag and drop and includes lots of sample code to tinker with or use as a black box.

There are video tutorials and emulators so that you can develop code for kit that’s not yet available and of course you can contribute back to the mix.

The SIG has put numbers on how great it’s new software/portal/online community is, saying it’ll halve the time it takes to learn Bluetooth and cut development time by 70 per cent.

“The SIG has put tremendous focus on building tools and programs to help developers get to market faster and reduce learning time – the Bluetooth Developer Studio is the culmination of that work,” said Steve Hegenderfer, director of developer programs, Bluetooth SIG. “Providing tools like this for the industry makes it possible for developers, innovators or anyone with an idea for the IoT to bring their product idea to market quickly and inexpensively.”

Of course, this isn’t the first Bluetooth SDK – all of the chip vendors have tools for their own products and Cambridge Consultants launched a similar tool last year, aimed at product manufacturers who wanted to add Bluetooth and might hire Cambridge Consultants to smooth the process. The Bluetooth SIG tool, however, has the benefit of being free. You can register for the new tool here. ®

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