14 DAY TRIAL // The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has just introduced the Bluetooth 4.1 specification, and it's not a minor announcement by any means. In fact, it is so much more than a simple speed boost that it makes one wonder if Bluetooth SIG deliberately held off on releasing it earlier, seeking to perfect everything it wanted.
There hasn't been an update to the Bluetooth standard since 2010, even though the number of devices, and the sheer variety of types, increased exponentially in the meantime.
Clearly, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group feels, like many other people do, that it was about time the standard caught up.
Especially since all the single- and dual-band Wi-Fi routers coming up, with speeds of up to 1,750 Mbps, were making Bluetooth look bad.
So now we can admire Bluetooth 4.1 technology, with has better bulk data transfer speed, allowing, say, fitness trackers to download workout sessions onto your PC almost instantly.
More importantly, Bluetooth 4.1 is more intelligent than 4.0, featuring the ability to detect when you and your smartwatch, smartphone or whatever else are leaving the room.
So if you were, say, streaming music to a speaker, but leaving the room for a while, it'll all stop dead, but resume once you get back in the room.
So now, the Bluetooth connection won't just fail. It will intelligently disconnect and reconnect. This saves energy, which is always a good thing these days.
The best part in all this is that Bluetooth 4.1 doesn't need new hardware. It's actually an update that can be provided wirelessly to existing chips. All we can hope is for device manufacturers to start delivering the update soon.
On a related note, the new Bluetooth release will allow it to play an essential part in the Internet of Things, leading to IP-based connections that allow devices to set up dedicated communication channels for all electronics.