Chipmaker Broadcom has today unveiled a new Bluetooth software stack designed to enhance in-car connectivity for Android devices. The company claims its Android Automotive Bluetooth stack delivers improved audio quality for calls and streaming music over the wireless standard, while boasting Bluetooth Smart (a.k.a. Bluetooth Low Energy) support, allowing battery-efficient connectivity with wearable devices.
The new software stack is an extension of Broadcom's contributions to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), and is available now to qualified customers — i.e. auto manufacturers, not end users. More technical details in the press release after the break.
Press Release
IRVINE, Calif —Thurs, December 5, 2013, 8 AM EST (5AM PST) -- Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today announced a new Automotive Bluetooth® software stack, enabling seamless in-car connectivity with Android-powered devices. As an extension to the company’s Bluetooth software stack (Bluedroid) contribution to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), Broadcom’s Android Automotive Bluetooth software stack ensures seamless, end-to-end interoperability between in-car applications and mobile Android devices. For more news, visit Broadcom's Newsroom.
Android has captured ~80 percent market share in global smartphone shipments(1) and demand for automotive device connectivity is on the rise. Until now, the fragmentation of Bluetooth software has resulted in poor audio performance and interoperability barriers across a range of devices. Broadcom's Android Bluetooth software removes these barriers, delivering a significant improvement in audio quality for hands-free calling and streaming music. Integrated Bluetooth Smart Ready technology syncs easily with wearable devices to monitor driver health and biometric indicators such as driver fatigue and blood alcohol content.
“The choice of in-vehicle technology is becoming more important as consumer demand for seamless mobile and wearable device connectivity continues to rise. Auto makers and tier one suppliers are looking for robust, feature-rich and flexible operating systems that are relatively painless and easy to deploy,” said Richard Barrett, Broadcom Director of Wireless Connectivity. “Our automotive Bluetooth software stack combines Broadcom’s proven expertise in software development and widely deployed wireless connectivity with high performance profiles optimized for use in the evolving automotive environment.”
“Open platforms continue their march forward in automotive with more and more car makers and tier one suppliers transitioning to open source platforms such as Android,” said ABI Research VP Dominique Bonte. “The automotive industry is set for a number of dramatic paradigm shifts and the adoption of open source platforms is just one example. In this regard, the automotive industry can mirror and keep pace with trends in mobile.”
About Broadcom Automotive Bluetooth Software Solutions
The interpretation of a standard such as Bluetooth can be understood and implemented differently across different devices. Over the past decade, Broadcom has updated and refined its software to account for variations in device behavior. By regularly participating in the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) and UnPlugFests, Broadcom ensures interoperability between devices and across different product segments. Broadcom’s Automotive Bluetooth software stacks are also available for Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS) and Linux.
Key Facts & Market Drivers
- A growing number of auto makers have announced their intent to leverage Android operating systems
- Every car will be connected by 2025
- 50 billion devices will be connected by 2020
- Android recently reached 1 billion activations – faster than any other OS platform in history
- Revenues from Android smartphones used by mobile business customers expected to reach $92B by 2018
- Automotive Bluetooth expected to remain the standard connection with mobile devices
Key Features
- Allows auto makers to respond to new trends and reach the market more quickly
- Eliminates potential licensing and royalty fees when used with Broadcom silicon
- All Bluetooth related components run in a single process
- Integrated Bluetooth Smart Ready technology for connections to consumer wearable devices
Availability
Broadcom’s Automotive Bluetooth software stacks for Android, RTOS and Linux are now available to qualified customers.
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