Qualcomm's Gimbal Platform Will Compete With iBeacon

If you’ve visited an Apple story recently, you may be familiar with the company’s new iBeacon system, which utilizes small, low-power Bluetooth transmitters to communicate with the Apple Store app on your iOS device. iBeacon can deliver notifications letting you know, for example, how much the upgrade pricing will be for the iPhone 5S you’re playing with.

Today, Qualcomm unveiled its own version of the iBeacon system, called Gimbal. Like Apple’s iBeacon, Gimbal will use Bluetooth sensors to detect your device and deliver pertinent notifications in real time. Retailers can use the system for everything from delivering products information to coupons, all based around the end-user’s physical location.

“Gimbal is a comprehensive context aware, proximity platform for brands to engage their customers’ mobile devices with highly relevant communications using a powerful combination of physical location, activity, time and personal interests,” the company said in a press statement. 

Qualcomm says it intends to deploy Android compatibility for Gimbal in the near future, but for the time being, it’s only compatible with iOS devices. The Bluetooth sensors for the system will be competitively priced, as low as $5 each when purchased in bulk.

“With the availability of Gimbal proximity beacons, we are empowering brands to take mobile engagement with their customers to a whole new level through micro-location,” said Rocco Fabiano, president of Qualcomm Retail Solutions. “Gimbal – with its proximity beacons that use low-energy Bluetooth Smart – is the complete package. Given the affordable pricing of the beacons, retailers and venue operators can install a network for customer engagement that is both more accurate and less expensive than other location-based systems.”

According to Qualcomm, Gimbal Bluetooth sensors will have a pretty impressive battery life. Depending on the model, it’ll last from a few months to several years on a single charge.

Developers interested in working with the Gimbal platform can purchase beacons and download the SDK here.