The Bluetooth Special Interest Group today officially launched Bluetooth 3.0 with some big claims for the short-range wireless standard. The biggest improvement for the new standard is speed, which jumps from a top transfer rate of 3 Mbps found in the current Bluetooth standard to 24 Mbps in 3.0, according to the Bluetooth SIG. Faster speeds are accomplished because 3.0 employs the 802.11 radio protocol–basically allowing the Bluetooth protocol to piggyback on a Wi-Fi signal when transferring large amounts of data like videos, music and photos.

However, laboratory tested speeds don’t always work out as advertised when used in everyday scenarios. Nevertheless, in an e-mail interview Michael Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG, stands behind the speed claims adding that the average user will experience transfer rates between 22-26 Mbps with 3.0. This is a great advantage for devices that use an ad hoc connection, because it means you can transfer data between two devices at high speed without using a USB cable or logging on to a Wi-Fi network.

Other new and notable Bluetooth features include Unicast Connectionless Data giving 3.0 devices improved responsiveness and noticeably better battery life; and Enhanced Power Control which reduces the incidence of disconnects caused by movement such as placing a phone in pocket or purse.

For the rest of the article click Ian Paul, PC World

Apr 22, 2009 4:15 am