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What Does The Market Say About Eddystone? 5 Insights From 5 Different Perspectives

When Google introduced Eddystone, the new Bluetooth beacon format was on everyone’s lips. First impressions were diverse: some proclaimed it to be a real game changer in IoT, others perceived this whole enthusiasm to be exaggerated.
Some time has passed; just enough to examine Eddystone, meet its opportunities and limitations, and form opinions based on experience rather than the Internet buzz. Therefore, we asked industry leaders to share their thoughts. How did their customers react? What are Eddystone’s biggest chances and challenges? How will they influence the future?
Here’s what we learned about Google’s format from 5 proximity providers’ executives.

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Ege Akpinar, CEO at Pointr

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I love Google and the rate of their innovation, so I couldn’t be happier for Pointr (and the entire IoT industry) that Google is officially embracing BLE. I don’t think, though, that an open (and open-ended) Google’s format is the Holy Grail. Sooner or later, Apple will update its protocol to support additional sensors (or even URLs), and once they do so, iBeacon will provide a great experience.

David Lerman, CEO at GuidiGO

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I definitely think that BLE technology needs to broadcast more information. To that end, Eddystone is a great milestone that will largely participate in the development of IoT by provi
ding frictionless interactions between the real and virtual world.

Among the multiple frame types that Eddystone supports, one that is particularly interesting for us is the Eddystone-URL. Thanks to this frame type, museums are now able to push contextual content without requiring the museum’s app. At GuidiGO, each tour’s content is also available through mobile web browsers. Imagine yourself wandering around the Computer History Museum and suddenly discovering the history of Apple in your browser, without even interacting with your device. This would be such a seamless experience!

Vincent Matringe, Head of Indoor at OnYourMap

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Our customers are really happy and enthusiastic about Eddystone. They are eagerly trying Eddystone now.

I think the new format from Google will add a new piece to the beacon market by making interactions between brands and consumer easier.The fundamental question that has not been solved by Eddystone yet and that businesses like OnYourMap needs to answer is simple: Why should consumers turn on their Bluetooth? It consumes battery, and no one likes that. For me, the only way to address this issue is to develop more seamless ways to brings them added value. For example, by enabling context-driven content or indoor navigation.

Oleg Morajko, CTO & Co-Founder at MOCA

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Eddystone went viral. Just in first days after the launch, we received lots of calls from our clients asking about this technology. Since a new giant player supports BLE, beacons and IoT have an opportunity to go mainstream. In general, I believe Eddystone is a significant step forward. Thanks to data gathered from sensors, in the near future beacon-enabled apps will be able to deliver more relevant content to users. This, combined with Eddystone URLs, will take proximity services to the next level.
Eddystone means more beacons, better proximity experiences for users and more tools for developers. With this new open standard, they not only accelerate the opportunity in the retail market, but also support growth in new markets such as tourism, connected home, smart cities and beyond.

Nick Stein, Head of Marketing at Indoo.rs

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We have tested Eddystone and found limited iOS support, which is rather disappointing. As this format is fresh on the market, though, this might change. It’s exciting that Google, Apple, and Facebook are getting behind beacons. This is a great time to be in this industry and it is only going to get more interesting in the future.


Have you investigated Eddystone yet? Which opinion do you agree with? Maybe, you’d like to add your own? Share your viewpoint below!

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