According to information from Computer worldGoogle recently decided that it will not offer Bluetooth functionality and instant messaging through the GTalkServices API on the first version of the Android 1.0 mobile operating system.
Although the news is terrible for users, the company made it clear that phones using the Android OS could work with other Bluetooth devices, such as headsets, for example. This information only means that software developers will not be able to create applications using the Bluetooth API for android OS.
For Nick Pelly, one of the engineers responsible for the Bluetooth API on Android, the company has opted out at this time because of the need for more time to develop it. But Google promises to bring adequate support for the Bluetooth API in an upcoming version of Android, although there is no date for this implementation.
In the case of the GTalkService API, a mobile instant messaging system that connects people to friends via Android mobile phones or Google Talk on computers has been removed due to security breaches.
According to Rich Canning, a security researcher working on Android, the GTalkService API would have revealed more details about users than they might want to reveal, such as their real names and email addresses.
The functionality could also endanger the control of an Android phone to a friend on Google Talk, or it could allow unauthorized apps to be installed on the device via messaging, damaging the app.
“While it is in our best interest to have this service, in the end the team decided to remove the Android API to avoid exposing users to risk and enabling the development of a safer version of the feature,” said Dan Morrill, developer of the Android project.
