BLUETOOTH 3.0

The next version of Bluetooth after v2.1, code-named Seattle (the version number of which is TBD) has many of the same features, but is most notable for plans to adoptultra-wideband(UWB) radio technology. This will allow Bluetooth use over UWB radio, enabling very fast data transfers of up to 480 Mbit/s, while building on the very low-power idle modes of Bluetooth.

The future of Bluetooth

It is estimated that there are more than one billion devices in use that utilize Bluetooth wireless technology. You can expect that number to rise sharply when Bluetooth 3.0 hits the market.

Bluetooth 3.0

Bluetooth 3.0 is the new Bluetooth wireless standard currently in development by the Bluetooth SIG and Wi-Media Alliance. The new standard is reportedly up to 160 times as fast as Bluetooth 2.1, and builds upon the previous standards. With such a rapid jump in transfer speeds, the technology has the potential to revolutionize the consumer electronics industry.

• It's FAST
  Bluetooth 3.0 will reportedly transfer files at rates of 480 megabits (60 Megabytes) per second in close proximity, and 100 megabits (12.5 Megabytes) per second at 10 meters. At those speeds, high-quality streaming video is a definite possibility, along with a host of other applications that are simply impractical with the current transfer rates.

• Picture this...
  With Bluetooth 3.0, camcorders will stream video footage or still photos to Bluetooth enabled televisions and computers; digital cameras will stream photo slideshows to cell phones, and laptops will have the ability to transfer presentations wirelessly to a projector. Use your imagination — the possibilities are really exciting.

• High bandwidth mitigates interference
  Bluetooth 3.0 will operate in the 6-9 GHz range rather than the current 2.4 GHz range, eliminating the concern of interference from wireless networks and other devices that use the 2.4 GHz range.

• Backwards compatibility
  Best of all, Bluetooth 3.0 will be backwards-compatible, so all of your old devices will be able to communicate with the new ones and vice versa. New devices will feature a 2.4 GHz Bluetooth radio on the same radio chip, or its own separate chip. But bear in mind that transfer speeds are only as fast as the slowest device, meaning that the two will exchange data at the slower, 3-megabit rate of Bluetooth 2.1.

Bluetooth wireless technology has made some major strides in the past few years, and the new 3.0 standard has the potential to remove not only the wires, but the communication barriers between devices that have existed for years as well.