Windows Smartphone Technology Revamped with LightBlue Bean Support: Bluetooth Empowerment on the Cards

Smartphones are meant for doing a lot of things and an average user seldom unlocks the full functionality associated. Making calls and receiving messages would turn obsolete now as ‘Punch Through Design’ comes with a technology, enabling users to make the best use of their handsets, with high-end Bluetooth support added into the mix. It’s time we envision a better future, treading past the usual Whatsapp Status or a casual selfie.

Hands-on approaches are great and with better Bluetooth control in scope, professionals might just have the added advantage. In comes the LightBlue Bean which offers a great deal of flexibility in realizing handset-controlled projects which need Bluetooth assistance.

For the starters, the LightBlue Bean is a tiny circuit board which can be integrated across multiple platforms and now is compatible with the latest Bluetooth Hardware. Initially this hardware was configurable to the Mac OS X but the latest patch, covering Windows 8.1 certainly looks a great inclusion. This would span across tablets and laptops alike with the ‘Windows Bean Loader’ acting as the app based controller.

The Smartphone app can be considered as the main hub while making live projects and controlling the handset better. The circuit board doesn’t need any wired connections and can be linked to the handset via Bluetooth Low Energy and Bluetooth 4.0. This brings forth a console, allowing the users to read into the log data featuring temperature, LED sensors and even the accelerometer.

A bit of Arduino programming will certainly be handy but with the company releasing user guides and starter projects, the future looks quite bright for the professionals sans the programming knowhow. Utilities like Smartphone controlled calling or even automation techniques are taken care of by the LightBlue Bean and the involved circuitry.

The LightBlue Bean is powered by the ATmega28p micro-controller, clocking at 8MHz. Additional modules include six I/O pins and the’ LBM313 Bluetooth Low Energy Module’. What stands out is the voltage requirement at mere 3 volts.

This latest integration is all set to work seamlessly with Windows 10, which might soon come out with wider range of attributes for the LightBlue Bean.

Colin Karpfinger, CEO, ‘Punch Through Design’ justified this late Windows unveiling with the lack of Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity across Windows 8. With the same being configured for Windows 8.1, the LightBlue Bean made a stat entry. While we still wait for an official android application, third party ventures are supported.

Overall the board costs around $30 but certain DIY enthusiasts might just go ahead and assemble the same with bundles available online. With the preprogrammed modules and firmware customizations on board, LightBlue Bean is certainly heading towards a brighter future.

Windows compatibility sweetens the pot further and the latest Windows 8.1 featuring Bluetooth 4.0 is a reason for this growing LightBlue Bean popularity.

Accessibility and Compatibility are the two reasons why Bluetooth powered projects and gadgets might cater to a larger audience although with LightBlue Bean featured along.

Windows Smartphone Technology Revamped with LightBlue Bean Support: Bluetooth Empowerment on the Cards