Bluetooth 4.0

Bluetooth low energy and its predecessors (think Wibree) have been in the pipe for ages now, but we might actually see this tech take off en masse for the first time now that the Bluetooth SIG has officially added it into a release: 4.0. While Bluetooth 3.0 was all about high energy with the introduction of WiFi transfer, 4.0 takes things down a notch by certifying single-mode low energy devices in addition to dual-mode devices that incorporate both the low energy side of the spec plus either 2.1+EDR or 3.0. In a nutshell, the technology should bring a number of new categories and form factors of wireless devices into the fold since 1Mbps Bluetooth low energy can operate on coin cells -- the kinds you find in wristwatches, calculators, and remote controls -- and the SIG's pulling no punches by saying that "with today's announcement the race is on for product designers to be the first to market." Nokia pioneered Wibree, so you can bet they'll be among the frontrunners -- bring it, guys.

"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 Bluetooth SIG executive director Michael Foley. "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. "

When talking about "longer range" Foley is referencing the fact Bluetooth 4.0 will also be capable of integrating with WiFi signals just like v3.0 + High Speed. SIG now refers to this functionality as 'Classic Bluetooth', far less of a mouthful.

So Bluetooth continues to evolve and defy critics who claimed the standard would die off many years ago. On the other hand, whether it will be more widely adopted than Bluetooth 3.0 + High Speed remains to be seen. Consumer devices featuring Bluetooth 4.0 will launch in between late 2010 and early 2011, just so long as companies care to implement it.