Android v1.0 won't have full Bluetooth or Gtalk

Robert Hallock (Thrax) Developers announce that the first retail version of the Android firmware will not have a full Bluetooth profile.

August 27, 2008 10:17 AM ET in News,

Google employee Dan Morill of the Android Developer Blog has revealed that the first version of the Android platform to hit the market with a phone will not have OBEX or GAP Bluetooth profiles.

The omissions, preventing Bluetooth file transfers and Bluetooth device connection, are expected to come in a later version. Google was quick to allay accusations that the omissions were one of negligence, rather than for the sake of getting it right.

“Rather than ship a broken API that we knew was going to change a lot, we chose not to include it. We absolutely intend to support a Bluetooth API in a future release, although we don’t know exactly when that will be,” Morill said.

Planned features for the eventual inclusion of a Bluetooth API include:

  • Bindings to GAP and SDP functionality.
  • Access to RFCOMM and SCO sockets.
  • Potentially, L2CAP socket support from Java. (This one is under consideration.)
  • An API to our headset and hands-free profiles.

4 Comments:

  1. Snarkasm
    27 Aug '08, 3:30 pm

    To be fair, all they're not including is the API; your headsets will still work. Some of the more advanced functionality may not, but the base services are in place and will function.

    A bit disappointing, but at least they'll be forthcoming.

  2. Thrax
    27 Aug '08, 3:51 pm

    To be fair, I specifically mentioned which bluetooth profiles would not be present, inferring that the remainder would work just fine.

  3. Snarkasm
    27 Aug '08, 3:57 pm

    And to be even MORE fair, I just didn't want anybody coming in and going HOMG MYE HEDSET WON'T WURK NDROIDE SUX

    Side note: I wish I had money to pay somebody to get Android ported to the Kaiser. I know XDA-Dev is working on it, and I hope that works out, but a professional build would be just fantastic.

  4. Zanthian
    27 Aug '08, 4:38 pm

    I am hoping to pick up one of these phones when the do the preorder for T-Mobile members.

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