Amazon wants Bluetooth accessory makers to use Alexa, opens SDK for all developers

Jabra

Amazon wants its Alexa voice assistant to reach as wide an audience as possible. This time around, it’s targeting makers of Bluetooth headphones, headsets, and wearables. The company just made its Alexa Mobile Accessory Kit tool widely available to developers. Qualcomm even came out with a US$299 smart headset with Alexa reference design to help interested manufacturers and developers get started. Amazon is looking to bring Alexa to hands-free devices, so you can use it while exercising or doing other day-to-day activities when your hands are full. The software development kit first supported wireless Bluetooth headphones from Bose, Jabra, and Sony, but now the company wants it to support other Bluetooth devices like smartwatches and portable speakers, as well as traditional headsets.

What the SDK brings is letting these devices communicate with the Alexa app for iOS and Android without the need to build an app or Alexa skill on their own. “By leveraging the Amazon Alexa App that is readily available for Android and iOS, device makers accelerate product development, software integration, and testing time, while reducing product support costs,” explains Alfred Woo, a principal product manager for Alexa Voice Services. “After launch, their products are automatically updated to include new Alexa features and functionality when they arrive in the Amazon Alexa App.”

Source: The Verge

Google brings Cardboard SDK to iOS

As the rumours have suggested, Google is bringing its Cardboard SDK to iOS developers. This means, developers of iPhone apps can create apps that will work with Google's virtual reality viewer. The Google Cardboard is a low-cost viewer that lets you slot in your smartphone into the front of the viewer to bring both virtual and augmented reality experiences to you via apps.

Aside from launching the SDK for iOS, Google's also introduced VR view, a feature to let developers include immersive content within apps and websites. It can turn images and videos into 360-degree VR images and videos that can be viewed on the desktop or with a phone attached to a Cardboard viewer. Both the SDK and the tools needed to create VR views are available starting today.

Source: MacRumors

Pebble Time apps and games surfacing 2 weeks after SDK was released

Pebble's just shown off some of the new apps and games coming to Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel just two weeks after the company released their Software Developer Kit. Because of the Pebble Time's 7-10 day battery life then the idea of gaming on the device itself isn't outrageous. 

Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel also come with a built-in accelerometer that provides support for step, swim, and sleep tracking with apps like Misfit, Jawbone UP, Swim.com, and  Morpheus Sleep Tracker. No update was given on the Smartstraps as this ability, to add functionality by way of third-party straps is open to third party companies so these will likely be made available after the Pebble Time's May release.

Pebble releases developer SDK for Pebble Time

Pebble isn't wasting any time. After shattering Kickstarter with the announcement of the coloured Pebble Time, the company just released their developer Software Development Kit (SDK). Pebble says that it will be easy to make existing apps work with the Pebble Time.

With our SDK, developers can start designing and building new color apps for Pebble Time, or upgrade their current Pebble apps to support Pebble Time. The SDK now includes an entire emulator (on cloudpebble.net or on your local machine) so you can get started on your apps before you get your Pebble Time. Documentation for timeline APIs is available as well.

More information can be found in the developer blog post: pbl.io/update3 or dive right in at developer.getpebble.com.