Google Releases the SDK For Version 1.6 of Android 69
Qwavel writes "This release includes improvements to the Android Market, the Search Framework, and Text-to-Speech. It now has support for more screen resolutions and CDMA phones. Android 1.6 is based on v2.6.29 of the Linux kernel and is expected in phones that will be available next month. The mystery of Android 1.6, however, is Google's continued unwillingness to commit to a Bluetooth API and any Bluetooth functionality beyond the basic audio functions."
Why the hate towards bt? (Score:4, Interesting)
To avoid the whole tethering fiasco (Score:1, Interesting)
If they put it in right away it would be easy to provide BT-based tethering to laptops, which a lot of cell service providers would hate and thus probably not allow android-based phones to be used on their network.
I bet they are waiting until there is widespread adoption of android on multiple networks before they add the functionality.
Already using 1.6 more or less. (Score:4, Interesting)
If your on a edgy modded ROM your likely using 1.6 (Cupcake) and some 2.0 (Donut) code.
(The latest experiemental Cyanogen ROM includes BFS (!) my first taste of the new scheduler on any system all I can say is the speed is mind boggling).
Delightfully, there is a glut of android phones on the way from various OEMs which should see the market grow and the code improve. Not that Android needs improving, in a year of having a G1 it never needed a hard reset, even with shitty crashing applications. I can't say as much for my iPhone.
Multitouch is coming to Android, now that Google is no longer affraid of Apple.
Re:Why the hate towards bt? (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm sure that Google could have finalized their Bluetooth API by now if they wanted to.
The scary thing is the idea that Google might be considering going the same route as Apple: a proprietary Bluetooth protocol that they can license and control, rather then supporting the Bluetooth standards. That wouldn't be like Google, but it is otherwise hard to understand their hesitation.
Re:Grr (Score:1, Interesting)
I really would Kill to be able to use my Android phone a a Bluetooth Keyboard and mouse, Just the convenience of being able to control my Living room PC from my phone would just be awesome.
There are at least a couple of ways (Score:3, Interesting)
One way is to use the Native Development Kit, which lets you run regular C code on the phone. Here's a post explaining how to bind to bluez: http://blog.blackwhale.at/2009/08/android-bluetooth-on-steroids-with-the-ndk-and-bluez/ [blackwhale.at]
The other way is to use the existing android bluetooth API: http://code.google.com/p/android-bluetooth/ [google.com]
What that developer has done is use java reflection to wrap the existing (just not documented) android.bluetooth class API. I've been using it to communicate with an OBD-II adapter with some success (thought the dynamic port discovery API doesn't work entirely.)
For tethering, Wifi Tether works pretty well, since it doesn't even require the laptop to support bluetooth. It makes your phone a portable ad-hoc access point. Does require root access, for which there are some one-click solutions out there.
Re:I'd rather have an N900 (Score:4, Interesting)
Well, the Native Development Kit (NDK) lets you build native code. There is a regular C/Unix environment underneath. If you look at a project like the Android Scripting Environment, they've managed to make Python, Ruby and Lua work on the phone, packaged as an .apk and not requiring root access. http://code.google.com/p/android-scripting/ [google.com]
You can compile pretty much anything for the phone, without needing root/Debian, though its not always as simple as 'apt-get install', for sure.