Low energy Bluetooth standard ratified, handsets within a year
Published: 21 December, 2009
READ MORE: CSR | Broadcom | Standards | Bluetooth | Wibree
The latest branch of the Bluetooth standard has been released, this one for very low power applications such as sensor networks. The platform's Special Interest Group (SIG) ratified Bluetooth Core Specification Version 4.0, which includes a low energy mode.
The enhanced spec is targeted at markets remote healthcare, fitness management security, and home networks - these are rapidly emerging sectors being targeted by several low power standards, such as ZigBee.
"For example, the Continua Health Alliance has already selected Bluetooth low energy technology as a transport for the next version of its guidelines," said Michael Foley, executive director of the SIG, in a statement.
The low energy standard is based on a technology called Wibree, originally developed by Nokia, and the handset maker's director of devices R&D came out with a strong statement of support for the technology, which supports short data packets (from eight to 27 octets) transmitted at 1Mbps, minimizing interference with the adaptive frequency hopping technique that is used in all versions of Bluetooth. Latency is a few milliseconds and range can exceed 100 meters, with AES-128 strong encryption and authentication.
Companies raced to support the standard, with two of the Bluetooth chip market leaders, CSR and Broadcom, in the lead. CSR has qualified its BlueCore7 multifunction wireless solution for Bluetooth low energy products and will use its modular BlueCore architecture to support both single- and dual-mode low power gadgets. Initially, it will deliver dual-mode Bluetooth systems that will add a low power mode to cellphones and PCs, alongside classic Bluetooth (the current release is 3Mbps EDR). After that, single-mode chips will be targeted at specific low power products like sensors.
Meanwhile, Broadcom said its latest generation Bluetooth chip - the InConcert BCM2049 - is compliant with the new specification and is particularly looking at the music market, with a solution that combines Bluetooth, FM radio and other music functionality for media players and phones.
Handsets with the new standard, which some analysts believe will be the fastest shipping Bluetooth system ever, should appear towards the end of 2010. Texas Instruments,
Nordic Semiconductor and EML have also showed silicon and TI is pricing its entry level developer offering at just $99 for a single-mode slave and USB adapter. Dual-mode chips for phones, PCs and media devices will boast power consumptions of 75%-80% of conventional Bluetooth.
Related Stories
More CSR News
More BROADCOM News
More STANDARDS News
COMMENTS
Digital Money: The Convergence of Contactless Card and Mobile Payments
This report examines the emergence of digital money from the perspective of the convergence of card-based proximity payments to the...
Cloudbooks: Market Analysis and Forecasts
This report is based on interviews with device OEMs, retailers and resellers and provides a comprehensive analysis of the new cloudbook...
Satellite Phones: Will Dual Mode Help the Phoenix Rise from the Ashes?
Satellite phones have followed an arduous path since their much-hyped launch more than a decade ago. The hype was followed by an e...
