In middle of all the adding features that must have been available day-one, Apple announced something really interesting for the hardware hacking community. The new iphone 3.0 OS will support application communication over bluetooth or through the dock connector using conventional or custom-made protocols. From Engadget’s coverage:
10:19AM “They talk over the dock, and wirelessly over Bluetooth. things like playing and pausing music, getting artwork — or you can build your own custom-made protocols.”
10:19AM “Now here’s a class that we think will be really interesting — medical devices.” Scott’s showing off a blood pressure reader that interfaces with the iphone — wild.
10:18AM “Here’s an example — an FM transmitter. With 3.0, the dev can build a custom-made app that pairs up with it, and automatically finds the ideal station and tunes it in.”
10:18AM “With 3.0, we’re going to enable accessory developers to build custom-made apps that talk directly to that hardware.”
No solid connection specification has been published yet. We’re ecstatic about the prospect of developing our own accessory hardware, but we wonder what sort of hoops you’ll have to jump through. Apple doesn’t have the best track record when it pertains to approvals. just this week they denied MSA Remote client app store entry; it’s a multitouch client that uses the conventional TUIO protocol. Prepare for similar roadblocks in the future.
[via adafruit]