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]