Google Android delay: Bluetooth, GTalk APIs

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 27 August 2008 05:34

Your IT - Mobility

According to Android developer advocate Dan Morrill, "We absolutely intend to support a Bluetooth API in a future release, although we don't know exactly when that will be."

What this likely means is that initial Android handsets will support Bluetooth headsets and handsfree kits for voice calls, but might not allow Bluetooth file transfers or connect to Bluetooth keyboards until an update of the Android software is made available. It definitely means developers won't be able to create applications that use Bluetooth to talk to peers running on nearby Android handsets. So multi-player games will initially rely on carrier links rather than (free) Bluetooth connectivity.

As for the Google Talk API, The decision to drop GTalkService from the SDK was taken for security reasons. The idea was to use Google Talk as a way of allowing programs such as games running on Android devices to communicate with each other.

Trouble is, the relationship you have with people that you'd put on an IM buddy list is not the same as that with fellow gamers - apart from anything else, there's no reason to assume that you should know the latter by anything other than their game identities.

Secondly, GTalkService hooked into an Android mechanism originally intended for passing messages within the device, and it was realised that this did not provide adequate protection against someone with malicious intent.

Please turn to page three for reason number three.