Disqus
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has just announced that the 4.0 specification is now open for qualification, which, as we’ve heard, will include low-power, high-speed and classic modes. The low-power portion is drawing most of the attention, and for mobile phones in particular, it’s really good news. Battery technology advances at a snail’s pace, so all manufacturers can do to extend battery life is make everything else more efficient. Bluetooth tends to be a moderate to significant drain on battery life, depending on the case, so odds are good the new spec will appeal to manufacturers on that basis.
Nokia actually helped develop the low-power standard, originally called Wibree, and had them merge with the Bluetooth SIG about three years ago. It’ll still be awhile before we see Bluetooth 4.0-supporting phones, but now that the SIG has opened up certification, manufacturers can at least get the ball rolling. Whenever a device does get released, I’m curious to see how much of a difference 4.0 will really be.
Hit up Bluetooth’s low energy page for a closer look, or their YouTube channel for a variety of use cases.
[via Bluetooth SIG]
About The Author
Simon Sage
Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.
