Bluetooth to receive speed boost by 2008

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
The Bluetooth SIG, the industry group behind Bluetooth wireless standard, announced on Tuesday it is developing a new version of the technology to meet the high-speed demands for data transfer of high quality video and audio on portable devices like the iPod, multi-media projectors and television sets.



The group said it has selected the WiMedia Alliance multiband orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MB-OFDM) version of ultra-wideband (UWB) for integration with current Bluetooth wireless technology, thus taking the next step in its plan to develop a version of the technology that can transmit data at speeds equivalent to USB or FireWire at distances up to 10 feet.



The first products with high-speed Bluetooth may show up late next year, with wider availability in 2008, Michael Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, told the Associated Press.



At the same time, Bluetooth technology will continue catering to the needs of very low power applications such as mice, keyboards and mono headsets, enabling devices to select the most appropriate physical radio for the application requirements, thereby offering the best of both worlds.



In its announcement, the Bluetooth SIG acknowledged that it is critical the UWB technology be compatible with Bluetooth radios and maintain the core attributes of Bluetooth wireless technology -- low power, low cost, ad-hoc networking, built-in security features, and ability to integrate into mobile devices. Backwards compatibility with the over 500 million Bluetooth devices currently on the market is also an important consideration, the organization said.



One of the key components to the agreement between the Bluetooth SIG and the WiMedia Alliance is that both parties have agreed to develop a high speed, high data rate Bluetooth solution that utilizes the unlicensed radio spectrum above 6 GHz -- answering concerns voiced by regulatory bodies in both Europe and Asia.



"Companies working with Bluetooth technology want to stay one step ahead of consumer demand and deliver a wireless technology that meets the global market needs for the personal area network -- today and in the future," said John Barr, Ph. D., chairman of the board of directors, Bluetooth SIG, and director, standards realization, Motorola. "There is now an opportunity for the WiMedia Alliance to work with the Bluetooth SIG to define the Bluetooth technology/UWB implementation that will work for the Bluetooth SIG, our members and end users."



The first Bluetooth technology/UWB solution chip sets are expected to be available for prototyping in the second quarter of 2007.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Bingo, wireless iPods!

    Bit later than expected, but those are some mean speeds for bluetooth!
  • Reply 2 of 9
    smalmsmalm Posts: 677member
    Bluetooth needs a driver boost from MS or it will die.

    BT support in Windows is abysmal but without Windows the market is to small to succeed
  • Reply 3 of 9
    chuckerchucker Posts: 5,089member
    Bluetooth on the Mac isn't so thrilling either. Sure, the drivers are a whole lot better, especially than Microsoft's built-in mess, which only got half-way usable with SP 2.



    But when will OS X finally support A2DP, for instance?
  • Reply 4 of 9
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Ireland

    Bingo, wireless iPods!

    Bit later than expected, but those are some mean speeds for bluetooth!




    I really don't see the point in high speed wireless for iPod. For wireless headsets, the high bitrate really isn't needed, that is already possible with the current standards. For docking transfers, you might as well connect it using a cable to get a recharge anyway, recharges usually take a lot longer than synchs.



    I would call the timeline disappointing for the Bluetooth standard, that would seem to allow plenty of time for wireless USB to get a foothold instead, as well as potentially lose plenty of time to "WiFi" as those chipsets get more power efficient though I think there are more spectrum issues with WiFi vs. Bluetooth.
  • Reply 5 of 9
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by smalM

    Bluetooth needs a driver boost from MS or it will die.

    BT support in Windows is abysmal but without Windows the market is to small to succeed




    Bluetooth is already dead. It totally missed the point, and now the idiots who made it what it is are trying to right a sinking ship. It has always been plagued by problems since the spec was drafted by a committee and tries to please everyone. In attempting such, it's crap at everything in the spec.



    Three reasons why Bluetooth is worthless.



    1. Low Power WiFi chips make bluetooth obsolete in mobile devices. Face it: vastly better speed, data integrity, and encryption with almost the same power draw.



    2. ZigBee is having a meteoric rise to prominence in embedded sensors and the like because it's what Bluetooth should have been. That is, a low-to-medium bandwidth transceiver with an extremely flexible MAC. ZigBee can actually succeed in the "piconet" environments that Bluetooth was supposed to foster.



    3. Wireless USB appears to be everything UWB Bluetooth wants to be, except that it's almost here already (been in testing and development for years), uses similar technology, and has the general co-operation of the industry.



    A wireless iPod would use Wireless USB, not UWB bluetooth.
  • Reply 6 of 9
    Bluetooth... works in phones already so you could use the new earbuds with your phone. And hey... if they use Bluetooth now, they can charge more for an upgrade later, that adds more headset compatibility (i.e. USB) for devices other than an iPod, like a PC.

    I am also guessing that Apple's Bluetooth chipset might be cheaper and might fit neater inside an iPod and an earbud for the time being.
  • Reply 7 of 9
    umijinumijin Posts: 133member
    Bluetooth speed bump? WHO CARES?! I mean really folks - we can't even get decent bluetooth Mac peripherals - so what is the point? Aside from Apple's keyboard - what BT device really works well on a Mac and isn't overpriced?! There are really no decent BT mice to speak of, and synching a BT headset to your Mac is a juggling act.



    Apple needs to literally sit or get off the BT pot, as it seems like a standard that isn't really embraced by anyone these days.
  • Reply 8 of 9
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by umijin

    Bluetooth speed bump? WHO CARES?! I mean really folks - we can't even get decent bluetooth Mac peripherals - so what is the point? Aside from Apple's keyboard - what BT device really works well on a Mac



    I don't understand why you say decent Mac Bluetooth devices, a good Bluetooth device is OS independent.



    I wouldn't even say Apple's keyboard is any good, wired or wireless. It looks nice and is compact but the key motion is like a much cheaper key mechanism from a $10 keyboard. I can press a key and get no keystroke, or I can press a key and get double keystrokes, I don't get that with my other keyboards.



    The Logitech Bluetooth kits work pretty well, I have the cheaper one, I forget the kit name.



    I think my PDA + Salling Clicker works pretty well to remotely control my computer.
  • Reply 9 of 9
    umijinumijin Posts: 133member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by JeffDM

    I don't understand why you say decent Mac Bluetooth devices, a good Bluetooth device is OS independent.





    Well, there are many BT devices that don't work with Macs, like the MicroSoft Keyboard, and Targus portable mouse. I suppose if your definition of good is 'crossplatform compatible', these don't make it. As for the BT devices that actually work with Macs, I've not seen any that do a good job. The RadTech, errr... BlueTake BT500, BT510 mice have horrendous battery life, and both have tracking issues, the 510 being unusable.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by JeffDM

    I wouldn't even say Apple's keyboard is any good, wired or wireless. It looks nice and is compact but the key motion is like a much cheaper key mechanism from a $10 keyboard. I can press a key and get no keystroke, or I can press a key and get double keystrokes, I don't get that with my other keyboards.





    I would agree there are a few issues involving tactile feel (some folks actually like the Apple KB, I prefer the one on my G4 PowerBook). I've also thought that the Apple BT KB misses strokes or doubles, however it's not clear to me whether this is just my lack of practice with it, or actual stroke error. The thing that shines on the Apple KB is the long battery life.





    Quote:

    Originally posted by JeffDM

    The Logitech Bluetooth kits work pretty well, I have the cheaper one, I forget the kit name.



    I think my PDA + Salling Clicker works pretty well to remotely control my computer.




    Ummm, what you you mean by "kit"? I've seen BT mice and keyboards announced by Logitech and perhaps Kensington, but they either haven't made it to market here (Japan) or haven't been on the market long. Logitech KBs I've seen aren't Mac compatible (e.g. Cordless MX Duo), and reviews for their BT mice have been poor.



    As for your remote PDA thing - not important for *work* and everyday usage. I and other folks would like a BT mouse that that works with Macs, tracks well, and has good battery life. I've yet to see any product that hits all three of these features.



    As for keyboards - I read about one product that works with Macs, but originally designed for PDAs and may be too small for normal usage. Basically, BT options are lacking!



    Again, Apple should either support this standard adequately, or stop including/supporting BT usage.
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