• by Ben Frederick  @mp_benfred, July 9, 2015

As the world of beacon-powered advertising grows larger, the tech behind it gets smaller.

Gimbal this week announced new USB beacon hardware that uses bluetooth technology to communicate with nearby mobile devices. Measuring less than .25 cubic inches, it's the company's smallest offering to date.

The new tech, called the Gimbal Proximity Beacon U-Series 5, doesn’t have USB lines. Because of this, it can be plugged into ATMs, point-of-sale registers, computers -- almost anything with a traditional USB port -- without the capability of transmitting or receiving data from those ports.

"Gimbal Proximity Beacons cannot 'see' or 'collect' anything as they operate in a transmit-only mode," a company representative said. The company drives home the new hardware's distinct lack of data collection capabilities in its latest press, perhaps in response to issues raised last fall after Gimbal devices were placed in phone booths around New York City.

"There was some misinformation out there last fall," the rep said, before adding that those issues have since been clarified, a claim backed by others that have downplayed the NYC phone booth fiasco, and by partnerships -- such as one with the Chicago Transit Authority -- that have since been struck.

"After a consumer opts-in, they are in control of their location settings at the app and OS level and can opt-out at any time," the rep concluded.