Signature Q1 2009 - (Page 9) Experience More@bluetooth.com/signature Ask the SIG | Illustration by Kate Miller | Q1 ’09 What is Bluetooth low energy technology? Bluetooth low energy technology is a way to provide wireless connectivity to small battery-powered devices. The new specification consumes a fraction of the power of traditional Bluetooth technology, opening new markets for products that operate on button-cell batteries. Development began in 2007 when the Bluetooth SIG announced it would bring Nokia’s Wibree technology under the Bluetooth technology umbrella. The goal was to create a low-power wireless technology that could communicate with Bluetooth wireless devices. Since that time, several Bluetooth SIG Working Groups have come together to resolve technical challenges, improve the specification and adapt it to the different types of Bluetooth enabled products available today and in the future. What kinds of opportunities and products will Bluetooth low energy technology enable? Adopting this technology will create opportunities for current members and bring new member companies to the Bluetooth SIG. “Bluetooth technology already has a strong position within the mobile phone industry, and this will only serve to strengthen our position,” says Anders Edlund, EMEA marketing director for the Bluetooth SIG. “Bluetooth low energy technology will enable mobile phones to provide even more services and applications and will help standardize wireless connectivity, leading to a truly global communication standard.” Some of the new products that will take advantage of this technology are watches and a variety of sensors that can be used in applications from home and office to sports and medicine. Watch manufacturers are developing products that will perform tasks from receiving e-mail alerts to providing calendar and incoming call information. Sensors that monitor blood pressure, heart rate, temperature and blood sugar will open up markets for athletic and medical products, and other sensors could find their way into industrial, retail, manufacturing and other applications. In addition to creating a vast market for sensors, watches and other existing devices, Bluetooth low energy technology’s ability to connect low power devices to mobile phones promises to make new applications possible. The mobile phone, after all, is quickly becoming the computer hub of the future, combining entertainment, connectivity and data storage in a single device. “Bluetooth low energy technology opens up new opportunities for many applications,” Edlund says. “It’s really new, but with the right education and marketing to help people realize the technology is out there, it should take off.” When will Bluetooth low energy technology be available? Low Energy Rising What’s the next step in the Bluetooth wireless technology evolution? Think low energy. The new Bluetooth low energy technology specification will enable wireless connectivity in devices that run on button-cell batteries or that have low battery capacity. Now that’s the way to do more with less. Experience More The Bluetooth SIG expects to announce the first version of the Bluetooth low energy specification in mid 2009, and chip shipments should follow close behind. The first products using this technology should start to ship to consumers by the second half of 2009. Have a question for the Bluetooth SIG? To learn more about Bluetooth Want to share an answer to a Frequently low energy technology, visit Asked Question from your customers? Bluetooth.com. E-mail us at signature@bluetooth.com. Bluetooth Special Interest Group | 9 http://www.bluetooth.com/signature http://www.bluetooth.com
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