Android 1.0 Will Have Bluetooth, Won't Have GoogleTalk

Google and the Open Handset Alliance, the group behind the Android OS, have given a status update on two features in this upcoming mobile operating system.

Bluetooth

There have been some rumors going around the Web that the first Android-based devices won't offer support for Bluetooth.

Android

A post on the official Android Developers Blog tries to squash these. "The 1.0 version of Android and the first devices will include support for Bluetooth; for instance, Android will support Bluetooth headsets," writes Dan Morrill, Developer Advocate.

However, the initial version of the developer tools will not include a Bluetooth API. This means third-party software won't be able to directly access the Bluetooth functionality.

But that's not the end of the story. Morrill's post promises "We absolutely intend to support a Bluetooth API in a future release, although we don't know exactly when that will be."

GoogleTalk

Google is the driving force behind Android, so it's no surprise that smartphones running this operating system will be tied in to many of this company's services.

However, there will be one popular service that won't be included: GoogleTalk.

Morrill says the decision to cut this instant messaging app from Android was based on concerns about security. "GTalkService has some fundamental security problems... in the end, the Android team decided to pull the API instead of exposing users to risk and breaking compatibility with a future, more secure version of the feature."

More About Android

Android will be based on the open-source operating system Linux and offer robust multitasking.

Along with the OS will be a suite of mobile applications. The OHA will strongly encourage third-party development.

The initial smartphones running Android are scheduled for release later this year. The first of these will be from HTC and T-Mobile USA, but this will be followed up by devices from a variety of companies and wireless carriers.

First Android Release Will Have iPhone-Style Crippled Bluetooth, No Google Talk

Over on the official Android Developers Blog, Googler Dan Morrill has news of what won't be making it into Android 1.0—a full featured-Bluetooth stack and data messaging via Google Talk API. Android 1.0 will work with Bluetooth headsets, but won't do other things like send files or link up to a PoGo printer, just like the iPhone. Google Talk will be missing completely. Thankfully, the reasoning behind both decisions seems to make sense: Google Talk's security is nowhere near where it needs to be in order to function as the core IM service for a huge mobile platform as intended, and a full Bluetooth API simply isn't done yet, but both should show up in future iterations. Apparently any frameworks in the 1.0 SDK would be impossible to greatly change down the road, so it sounds like Google's taking the smart route and not rushing out inferior code.