Saturday, March 31, 2007

Bluetooth Version 2.1+EDR is coming

How many people who have Bluetooth-enabled PCs or gadgets have ever used their Bluetooth? According to a survey (sorry, I read somewhere and couldn't recall the source), only 30% of Bluetooth devices owners have ever used the radio. And those who manage to use it, most only taste a few applications such as small file transfer. Many other Bluetooth capabilities as described in the Bluetooth profiles are simply too complicated for novice users.

Driven by the above fact, the Bluetooth SIG has created an update to the existing Bluetooth Specification (i.e. Bluetooth version 2.0+EDR) with the focus on improved usability, security, and power consumption. The new specification will ensure a shorter pairing process involving less pairing steps, facilitate link encryption without user intervention, and reduce power consumption by up to five times. Such updates will hopefully be appealing to a broader user base to use Bluetooth in everyday activities and extending Bluetooth application to areas beyond its traditional markets.

The new Spec doesn't increase Bluetooth maximum data rate though, it remains at 3 Mbps. But in the future, the next Spec will enable Bluetooth to run over a very wide UWB channel to multiply data rates up to hundreds Mbps.

BLUETOOTH SIG IMPROVES USER EXPERIENCE

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