ECD: People might know Bluetooth technology only from their mobile phones and headsets, but how are you addressing other applications?
FOLEY: While the headset has been the widest use of Bluetooth technology to this point, the original intent of the technology has always been to connect disparate devices within the personal area network, and that’s still alive and kicking. We’re actively improving current use cases like:
- Wireless stereo: We’re seeing rapid adoption of stereo headphones
- Gaming: Because of the Wii and PSP growth, Bluetooth technology is now used in many homes via these devices’ remote controls
- Media sharing: More and more people are swapping pictures, contacts, and information between PCs, mobile phones, printers, and cameras
We’ve just introduced version 3.0 of the technology, which addresses high-speed multimedia transfer. We’re also getting set with a low-energy version of the technology that will enable several key use cases, including security and proximity devices, health and fitness devices like heart rate monitors and pedometers, and enhanced home entertainment devices with remote control functionality.
ECD: What’s the new Bluetooth low-energy wireless technology specification about?
FOLEY: Bluetooth low-energy wireless technology is an extension that expands the health and fitness device market (with 20 million Bluetooth devices) and paves the way to enhanced physical performance, remote control, and security and proximity sensors. Devices such as watches and mobile phones will enable lock/unlock controls as well as personal health and sports sensor applications.
With this new specification, sensor devices have the potential to communicate with hundreds of millions of Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones, PCs, and PDAs shipped each year. Consuming minimal power, the technology offers long-lasting connectivity, dramatically extending the range of potential applications and opening the door to brand-new Web services. Bluetooth low-energy technology is essentially the missing wireless link between small sensor-type devices and mobile devices. Bluetooth low-energy wireless technology is an ultra-low-power wireless solution that will feature:
- Ultra-low peak, average, and idle mode power consumption
- Ultra-low cost plus small size for accessories and human interface devices
- Minimal cost and size addition to handsets and PCs
- Global, intuitive, and secure multivendor interoperability
The Bluetooth low-energy wireless technology specification will feature two implementations: dual mode and single mode. In the dual-mode implementation, Bluetooth low-energy functionality is integrated into traditional Bluetooth circuitry. The result shares much of Bluetooth technology’s existing functionality and radio and costs about the same compared to classic Bluetooth chips.
Single-mode chips will be highly integrated and compact devices. The simplified protocol stack features a lightweight link layer providing ultra-low-power idle mode, simple device discovery, and reliable point-to-multipoint data transfer with advanced power-save and encryption functionalities. The link layer provides a means to schedule Bluetooth low-energy wireless technology traffic between Bluetooth transmissions. Profiles will include support for many devices such as human interface devices, sensors, and watches.
Ultra-low power consumption is critical to Bluetooth low-energy wireless technology’s success. Single-mode devices will be expected to run for months or even years on standard coin-cell batteries (for example, CR2032). Single-mode chips will typically operate with low duty cycles, entering ultra-low-power idle and sleep modes and waking up only periodically for a few milliseconds to send a data burst.
ECD: Given all that, what would you say is the one overriding trend that will reshape the way devices are developed in this new decade?
FOLEY: What we’re doing with Bluetooth technology is enabling a multitude of applications within the personal area network – anything a consumer could need to connect on themselves, in their cars, or at their homes will be possible with Bluetooth wireless technology. Application-centric manufacturing and device building is the one overriding trend for the next decade. Apple created its “there’s an app for that” campaign for a reason, and it wasn’t just to make money. It makes sense to look at our devices as an extension of what we need to do every day. The better we get at that as an industry, the more successful we’ll be.
Bluetooth SIG
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