Bluetooth scales up in India

The future of bluetooth lies in higher data speeds and lower power consumption. Motorola Software Group, Motorola’s R&D center for software in Bangalore, is working on several such future technologies. Bluetooth 3.0, the latest standard that wireless companies are working on, promises extremely fast data transfers. Standards 2.0 and 2.1, the latest in use currently, offer data rates of about 1 Mbps (mega bit per second).

“Bluetooth 2.0 was about enhanced data rates, 2.1 was about pairing bluetooth devices better. But 3.0 is about high speed, it could even be 130 times higher than current data rates,” says Uma Seetharaman, Senior Operations Manager, Motorola Software Group.

Companies are also working on Ultra Low Power Bluetooth. In this version, the technology can be integrated into small devices which run on low-powered batteries –wristwatches, for instance. This could lead to a slew of healthcare and sports accessories, predicts Seetharaman. For example, a jogger could monitorhis heart rate, transfer the data to his cell phone via bluetooth and simultaneously send the data to a trainer or physician using a GPRS connection.