Bluetooth gets faster

BLUETOOTH speeds could get a lot faster by next year as the technology piggy backs on Wi-Fi.

Michael Foley, director of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, told AP that by linking Bluetooth and Wi-Fi it is possible to transfer large amounts of data between computers and mobiles jolly quickly.

He said that the first devices with the technology will hit the shops next year.

Foley said that the group had wanted to release an ultra-wideband technology for Bluetooth in 2006, but could not get it to go so it started to have a deco at at Wi-Fi too.

Already some laptops use a mix of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi running on separate chips. However the goal is to come up with a single chip that combined Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities.

The combination devices will use the regular low-power Bluetooth radios to recognise each other and establish connections. When a large file needs to be transferred it goes into Wi-Fi mode and turn off to save power afterwards.

More here. µ