“Interoperability is Google’s big selling point, especially when compared to Apple’s iBeacon. Beacon manufacturers can add Eddystone support with just a firmware update, and app makers can use Google’s Nearby API to send information to both iOS and Android devices. (Apple, meanwhile, has shut down at least one attempt to support iBeacon on Android devices.) Google is also looking to tie beacons into its experimental Physical Web project, so they can deliver information without a dedicated app.
It’s early days for Eddystone, and for beacons in general, and it’s unclear how much adoption we’ll see in the real world. But for now, a handful of apps are already using the Nearby API to transmit infromation to other devices, and several beacon hardware manufacturers have pledged their support.”
Source: pcworld.com