Android to Assimilate Bluetooth Smart Technology

One of the many announcements flooding out of Google I/O that may have gotten lost in the shuffle is Android's expected support for Bluetooth Smart technology. This may seem like an odd development, especially if you know that many Android devices already feature Bluetooth 4.0, the version in which Bluetooth Smart (that is, Bluetooth Low Energy) first appeared.

What's new here, though, is that the fresh flavor of Android, expected to hit in the next few months, will natively integrate all of Bluetooth 4.0's fancy tricks, including BLE, or BT Smart. Previous Android iterations lacked this degree of Bluetooth collaboration. If you think any of the cutting-edge wireless accessories hitting the market such as the Fitbit Flex and Pebble smartwatch are pretty neat then Android beefing up its Bluetooth chops means even slicker hands-free products down the pike.