Last week during All Hands Meeting in Seattle, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group announced the upcoming Bluetooth Core Specification Version 4.0.
Expected to be launched in Q2, Bluetooth 4.0 technology will have a “powerful low energy mode designed to enable expansion of the technology in m-health, sports and fitness, security and home entertainment scenarios where button-cell battery devices proliferate”.
If classic Bluetooth offers a range of 10 metres, the new one will range 60 metres or more, that’s why this will be one of the innovations product of the year.
Bluetooth 4.0 enhances 3 technologies in 1: classic Bluetooth technology, Bluetooth low energy technology and Bluetooth high speed technology.
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. Specifically, Bluetooth v4.0 is cited to have significant impact on the fitness, healthcare and environmental control industries.
Samples of sensors using Bluetooth 4.0 technology will be available before June 30, 2010. It will equip electronic devices by the end of this year(2010) or beginning of the next one, 2011.
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