CNN Money’s website published an article yesterday on the next gen of Bluetooth that highlights the benefits of the low-power direction.

“The ultra-low-power Wibree technology will become part of the low-power Bluetooth spec to extend Bluetooth’s reach into small devices that use button-cell batteries, including wristwatches, toys, healthcare devices, and sensors for sports and gaming activities.”

Implemented, these technologies would allow Bluetooth to deliver data to 3Mbps (& Wibree streaming data at up to 1Mbps) with up to 90 percent less power consumption. Other Bluetooth applications could see power savings of 10 percent to 20 percent.We could see implementation of a single-mode ultra-low-power spec and a dual-mode Wibree/Bluetooth “in the first part of 2008,” said Michael Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG. The spec will be available royalty-free. A “realistic time line” for the first products incorporating the spec is the third quarter of 2008.

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