Being one of the most used functions in our mobile devices, Bluetooth Special Interest Group have announced a new upgrade for the tech, called Bluetooth 4.1.
With so many upgrades to our phones year on year, it can be easy to forget the key components. Android devices have their Jellybeans and their KitKats, each bringing shiny new user interfaces and apps to jab our screens for and iPhones are upgraded on a seemingly endless cycle, providing those who want the latest Apple gadget with more appealing cases and outer shells as well as (in the case of iOS7) fairly divisive new app icons. But, on a ground level, almost all phones these days allow for Wi-Fi, 3G and often 4G connections, along with Bluetooth, a long standing connectivity stalwart. Now, it’s been announced that Bluetooth will soon be upgraded, with Bluetooth 4.1 in the works.
The people behind the update are Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) who have been in charge of Bluetooth upgrades and improvements for years. Considering that the last upgrade we got to the NFC-allowing connection was 2010, with Bluetooth 4.0, keeping in line with the latest and greatest mobile devices sees Bluetooth 4.1 being worked on. What Bluetooth 4.1 will bring to our connected devices, Bluetooth SIG say, is a plethora of new features, which they describe as an “important evolutionary update to the Bluetooth Core Specification”. Of these features, intriguing concepts such as allowing Bluetooth smart ready products to act as both a Bluetooth Hub and as a smart peripheral, which could mean using your TVs to transfer data over the connection more easily.
What Bluetooth 4.1 will also for is the creation of dedicated channels, with added support for IP-based connections which in theory, could allow you to set up peer to peer data transfers doing away with the times of old where just about anyone with a Bluetooth connected device could get in on the file transfer action, with or without your permission. Too, there are some benefits for product developers, not just improving “usability for users” then, as Bluetooth SIG say that 4.1 “extends the technology’s foundation essential link for the Internet of Things”. There’s currently no date for when the upgrade will be rolled out, but Bluetooth 4.0 devices will be able to upgrade to Bluetooth 4.1 via a software update once it does.
We’ll keep you posted once we know more.
Source: Geeky Gadgets
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