The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) recently said it is done finalizing specifications for the upcoming energy-conscious Bluetooth 4.0 standard.
Bluetooth 4.0 is designed to consume less power than other standards, but during continuous data communication and long-range transmissions it will not yield power-saving capabilities. The spec will be able to provide technology for wrist watches, radios, other portable devices and medical equipment used in hospitals.
The new format supports Wi-Fi 802.11 networks that supports transfers speeds up to 25MB/s. This Wi-Fi support should help Bluetooth 4.0 compete with UWB (Ultra Wideband), Wi-Fi and WiBro wireless protocols -- but UWB, Wi-Fi and WiBro don't offer the power saving features like Bluetooth 4.0.
The Bluetooth 4.0 specs are designed to work with low-power devices only, such as gadgets using a coin-cell battery. Devices using the new tech can be expected before the end of the year.
“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," said Michael Foley, Bluetooth SIG Executive Director, in a statement. "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.”
Bluetooth 3.0 standards were released just 10 months before the SIG released Bluetooth Core Specification Version 4.0 was first announced. It may seem strange Bluetooth 4.0 would be released so soon, but that's because the new low-power standard isn't designed to be used with the same devices as Bluetooth 3.0.
