Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 14, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group planned to introduce Bluetooth 3.0 on April 21. It also intended to name companies preparing a new generation of devices and publish technical specifications for the faster Bluetooth variant. The speed increase would use 802.11n Wi-Fi technology.
Users would not need to log into a Wi-Fi network; instead, devices would establish a direct connection. The Wi-Fi component would activate only when larger amounts of data needed to be transferred. Bluetooth had previously been used mainly for contacts or calendar data because of its limited speed. The update was intended to transfer data-intensive multimedia content at practical speeds. A conventional Bluetooth connection would remain active, with Wi-Fi acceleration enabled as required.
Bluetooth connections were also expected to become more stable and energy-efficient, improving operation with wireless hands-free systems. Bluetooth 3.0 was not the Bluetooth SIG’s final target. Future versions were intended to reach as much as 480 Mbps, bringing the technology toward the performance expected from USB 3.0.