Bluetooth 3.0 promises to be faster by 8x
The new Bluetooth specification launched this week promises the new version will be eight times faster than its predecessor.
The new protocol will help mobile device manufacturers who adopted the low-power, limited range Bluetooth for its support of device sync and peripheral connections. Using Bluetooth 3.0, those vendors will be able to use 802.11 radio circuitry to extend data throughput without using WiFi networking, which many handsets lack.
It’s been known for a while now that the specs for Bluetooth 3.0 will be officially announced on 21st of April and they arrived on schedule. The specification are now known as Bluetooth 3.0 High Speed and for good reason – it promises up to 8 times the speed of version 2.0 + EDR (Enhanced data rate) for a theoretical maximum of 24Mbps.
For starters, the obvious use is to download a huge media library between a phone and a computer. And with the increase in capacity of memory cards transferring sizeable music collections is common, but quite slow over Bluetooth.
The speed increase to 24Mbps is done in part by combining the power of Bluetooth with the power of WiFi. For example, when transferring files using Bluetooth 3.0, a temporary WiFi connection will be made between the two devices to give the transfer that extra speed boost. That WiFi connection will only exist for enough time so that the transfer can be completed and will be ended before it’s noticable to any other nearby device.
For iPhone and iPod touch fans, this is exciting news. Progress on Bluetooth technology is important to anyone who uses their phone with a Bluetooth hands-free headset or would like to use their phone to quickly transfer contacts or files to another phone. Don’t expect Bluetooth 3.0 to start hitting devices soon though; the Bluetooth special interest group has said they don’t expect the new technology to be available to consumers for another 9 to 12 months – which is just in time for the 4th generation iPhone to be introduced!
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