New Bluetooth 4.0 standard brings better battery life, improved range, and multi-device connectivity
I think we all have a bit of a love – hate relationship with Bluetooth. One minute your Bluetooth device is performing really well, and then for no reason at all it seems to have a mind all of its own. Also, I find it personally quite annoying when you have to disconnect one device just to connect to another, or if you forget to turn your Bluetooth off, it will suck the life out of your device’s battery. Well according to Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director of the Bluetooth SIG, these little annoyances could be coming to an end.
According to Dr.Foley:
Bluetooth v4.0 throws open the doors to a host of new markets for Bluetooth manufacturers and products such as watches, remote controls, and a variety of medical and in-home sensors. Many of these products run on button-cell batteries that must last for years versus hours and will also benefit from the longer range enabled by this new version of the Bluetooth specification.
Now the new Bluetooth v4.0 standard will offer you three specifications in one: Classic Bluetooth technology, Bluetooth low energy technology and Bluetooth High Speed technology. What’s really nice about this new standard is that all three of these specs can be used simultaneously or separately by different devices.
BlackBerry Smartphones and PCs will use all three of them with the Classic, low energy and high speed technology running “side by side.†Bluetooth v4.0 will offer you an improved range of up to 200 feet and even more. You can now print from your BlackBerry, Stream Music, use as a Wireless Modem, and make a phone call using your Bluetooth headset without the need to disconnect one to connect to the other.
Bluetooth v4.0 will be available in our smartphones and PCs in late 2010 or early 2011.
