The BEACON is BTLE (Blue Tooth Low Energy) protocol that allow you to implement a variety of applications.
The main applications are listed below.
- Beacon on board on Airplane, Ships, etc
- Proximity marketing
- Localization of object
- Self-guided tours for museums
- etc.
The iBEACON is similar to the BEACON but is a protocol proprietary of APPLE for do the same things that are possible doing using BEACON.
Some links:
- http://www.beaconitaly.it/
- Here there are some beacom realizations
- A Guide to Bluetooth Beacons
- Beacon Control: Open Source Beacon Management
- THE BEACONS FAQ: It’s Time To Set The Story Straight About Beacons And Apple’s iBeacon System
- The World’s Simplest iBeacon