Google finally introduced iBeacon’s rival, Eddystone, which is not only designed for its Android operating system, but is also compatible with iOS devices. This new beacon format comes as a blessing for those developers and businesses who have been struggling to integrate their Android devices with iBeacon. This is a great deal because Android devices dominate most of the market and they were left out in the internet of things (IoT) for a long while. However, it would be wrong to assume that Eddystone is just another addition made in the IoT because it has plenty of potential and can offer a lot more than that.
Here are some abilities that can make Eddystone really powerful and effective:
Native Integration
New business opportunities would be opened up thanks to the increase in users of beacon-friendly devices and the beacons that come with support for Eddystone. Kontakt.io Smart Beacon is a good example here; you can see more information here http://bit.ly/eddystone. However, business owners and marketers will not just switch to Eddystone because of the greater reach of proximity marketing activities. Beacons supporting this new format can broadcast not just IDs, which are easily recognized by dedicated apps, but the phone will also be able to display the URL even if the app isn’t installed. Deep Android integration will also enable businesses in measuring their performance and get to know their real customers instead of just app users. Such data can be extremely useful for the purpose of targeting.
Real-World Context and Sensor Information
The notable computing paradigm of the smartphone era is context. If there is plenty of data collection and deep Android integration with other devices, it wouldn’t take long to automate processes through proximity information. Appliances and objects will be able to understand the needs of the users and can provide answers without any action from the users.
Large Scale
Another feature of Eddystone is its capability of broadcasting data such as noise, temperature or humidity, which is obtained through built-in sensors on the beacon. This can build an excellent environment for smart cities when combined with the rich data, native integration and passive information flow. Mounted on public transport, buildings and streetlamps, beacons gather information about the quality of air, noise and traffic and pass it to the cloud. This will provide the citizens and city officials with a huge amount of information about the safety and comfort of residents.
Open Format
Some pain points that aren’t addressed by Apple’s iBeacon are definitely dealt with by Eddystone. A robust format has been developed by Google, which broadcasts rich information and enables native integration beyond a unique identifier. It wouldn’t take long for Eddystone to make beacons a crucial element of the internet of things. In addition, this beacon format is made open by the search engine giant, which allows just about anyone to make a contribution to it. When there are enough testers, bugs can be eliminated and new ideas can also be generated. Therefore, Eddystone will turn out to be an irresistible force of innovation and will drastically change our expectations from the internet of things. There is no doubt that it will be a game changer.