Selfloops announces Android ANT+ accessory

Selfloops as well as ANT+ have come together to roll out what they call the Android ANT+ accessory, which so happens to be a smartphone charger which would allow Android connectivity to the ANT+ ecosystem that comprises of sport, fitness and health products. This particular Android ANT+ Accessory would end up as the gateway for millions of current Android devices (those that run on Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread and higher) to display a wide array of data including heart rate, foot speed and distance, bike speed, power and cadence from any certified ANT+ sensor, all the while linking Android applications to the millions of available ANT+ products that are manufactured by such notable brands including Garmin, Timex, and Geonaute.
Selfloops co-founder, Christian Del Rosso, said, “We’re extremely excited to now offer this innovative accessory to consumers. This is the only smartphone accessory that will enable ANT+ in Android devices with versions 2.3.4 and higher, which covers over 85% of the Android installed base. Existing solutions only cover Android 3.1 and upward (43% of the installed base) so we are thrilled to offer a device that brings ANT+ to the mass population of Android users.”
The Android ANT+ Accessory would hook up to an Android device using USB, where it also doubles up as a charger, which would extend the battery life of a connected smartphone. The accessory itself will adhere to the Android USB Accessory Protocol, hence it would also play nice with devices which so happen to miss out on USB OTG (on-the-go) capabilities. Applications that were written using the official Android ANT APIs from ANT Wireless will be 100% compatible with the Selfloops Android ANT+ Accessory. For those who are interested, Selfloops happens to have developed a couple of ANT+ Android apps (Selfloops and Selfloops Group Fitness) which can be downloaded the Google Play Store. The Selfloops Android ANT+ Accessory will burn a $115 hole in your pocket, and if you place a pre-order now, expect it to ship later this October.

Source :coolest-gadgets.com