San Francisco – April 8th, 2015 – Kontakt.io, a leading global provider of beacon hardware and software, today announced it will open the biggest “Beacon Playground” in the Bay Area, installing 150 beacons in and around the Palace of Fine Arts on Lyon street as part of the Innovation Hangar. The company will launch the project next week in conjunction with BeaconWeek (April 16th), a special event devoted to educating developers and startups about beacons and proximity. The Beacon Playground will be accessible indoors and out, using Kontakt.io’s Bluetooth Smart Beacons and Tough Beacons, and manageable through Kontakt.io’s Cloud Beacons. Businesses and public spaces will have access to an open infrastructure to build a limitless number of applications upon it.
“Kontakt.io has always been focused on building and connecting communities around beacon technology – we want to empower more people, public spaces, and businesses to explore the possibilities of proximity,” said Szymon Niemczura, co-founder and CEO of Kontakt.io. “Where better to put the power of technology in the hands of the people than San Francisco? Giving the highly talented and creative developers of the city access to our newest technology is a sure-fire way to test the boundaries of what’s possible.”
The Kontakt.io Beacon Playground will be accessible via an open infrastructure, making it possible for anyone to build location-based applications on top of Kontakt.io hardware. The full installation, which bridges the Presidio and Marina District, will be built using three distinct types of beacons unique to Kontakt.io.
Bluetooth Smart Beacon: Kontakt.io beacons package hardware and software to provide businesses and developers with a full suite of tools to make the most out of their proximity solution. From a web panel that makes configuration a snap to a full API and SDK, Kontakt.io Bluetooth Beacons and iBeacons ensure deployments are up and running in no time.
Tough Beacon: Not all proximity opportunities are indoors. Kontakt.io Tough Beacons are rugged, built to withstand the elements and keep on pinging. The Tough Beacon is shatter resistant, waterproof up to 10m, dustproof, hermetically sealed, anti-static, UV resistant and operable through a wide range of temperatures. Created using the same award-winning Bluetooth Smart technology as the original Kontakt.io Bluetooth Beacons, the Tough Beacon is encased in a special polycarbonate blend that makes it perfect for proximity indoors and out.
Cloud Beacon: Kontakt.io’s one-of-a-kind Cloud Beacons give businesses unparalleled access and control of their beacon deployment. Whether an instillation has two beacons or two thousand, Kontakt.io Cloud Beacons make it possible to monitor, change configuration, manage OTA firmware updates and randomize UUIDs on a regular basis for increased beacon security.
For access to the Kontakt.io Beacon Playground, developers must create a Kontakt.io account at www.Kontakt.io. To attend Beacon Week on April 16, register HERE.
