High-speed Bluetooth 3.0+ HS launched

Bluetooth 3.0+ HS, the latest version of Bluetooth technology is now official. Bluetooth Special Interests Group (SIG) announced in Tokyo today that the latest version of Bluetooth wireless networking harnesses the speed of 802.11.

So, get ready to use Bluetooth 3.0 at the speed of 24 megabytes per second (MBPS). So far, the highest speed available on Bluetooth devices was 3 MBPS. Bluetooth 3.0 piggybacks on WiFi capabilities to achieve this high data transfer speed.

Though Bluetooth 3.0 has been officially launched, it does not mean that the technology will be immediately available. You may have to wait till the end of the year for Bluetooth 3.0 devices.

The Bluetooth SIG also announced that version 3.0+ HS will be backwardly compatible. Some of the earlier Bluetooth 2.0 chips will be able to upgrade to Bluetooth 3.0. This is unlikely to be possible with mobile phones, but with computers and laptops using Bluetooth 2.0, upgrading to Bluetooth must be possible, we guess.

Bluetooth technology is used for wireless networking of mainly mobile devices like laptops, mobile phones, wireless headsets, printers, GPS devices, cameras, handycams, computer mice and scanners. The Bluetooth network (called a Piconet) can accommodate a maximum of eight devices. A network of Piconets is called a Scatternet.

Bluetooth technology uses radio frequency waves for data transmission. Bluetooth setup is usually easier, though slightly less secure than WiFi, another wireless networking protocol.

802.11, which is used in WiFi modules and wireless routers is the same technology that drives Bluetooth 3.0. The high-speed data transmission ensures that more than just being a add-on technology to transfer pictures and small files from a mobile phone to another, Bluetooth 3.0 can be a solid platform for sending large videos and data files, besides being a backbone for wireless computer networking in closed spaces.

In comparison, Bluetooth 3.0 uses up more power than Bluetooth 2.0, the earlier version. This is only natural. Bluetooth 3.0 is designed to work on future devices, which will come with oodles of battery power, which keep increasing with every new gadget off the block. However, the idle power usage is remarkably low, reports Engadget.

“Utilizing the 802.11 radio was a natural choice as it provides efficiencies for both our members and consumers – members get more function out of the two radios they are already including in devices, and consumers with Bluetooth 3.0 + HS products will get faster exchange of information without changing how they connect. We are excited to expand the possibilities of the PAN,” said Mike Foley of the Bluetooth Special Interests Group.

With Bluetooth 3.0+ HS, you can: Wirelessly bulk synchronize music libraries between PC and music player or phone; bulk download photos to a printer or PC; and send video files from camera or phone to computer or television.

Bluetooth wireless technology

Bluetooth is the internationally-accepted short-distance standard for wirelessly inter-connecting electronic equipment, like mobile phones, computers and laptops, camera and printers. Bluetooth technology, which has now reached the version 3.0 stage, is still in the process of evolution: harnessing its inherent strengths, small-form factor radio, low power, low cost, built-in security, robustness, ease-of-use, and ad hoc networking capabilities.

Bluetooth SIG said that every day, over nine new Bluetooth enabled products are qualified. Every week, 18 million Bluetooth-enabled devices are being shipped. Already, there are about two billion devices using Bluetooth technology across the world.

Though consumer gadgets incorporating Bluetooth 3.0 HS may take till year-end to make their appearance, Bluetooth dongles, which can be attached to any device with a USB port, are likely to be out in the market soon. This means Bluetooth users on computer networks will be able to move up to Bluetooth 3.0 earlier than those using it on mobile phones.