Bluetooth 2.2 Coming Our Way Next Year

2009 will be interesting (which year isn’t?) with the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) planning to roll out its Bluetooth 2.2 standard that will deliver transfer rates at higher speeds compared to previous versions – which is expected anyways. This new High Speed Bluetooth specification will be compatible with WLAN or USB for improved data rates, and can also be addressed as Bluetooth 10x and Bluetooth 100x. The cell phone will need to come with Wi-Fi connectivity as well as UWB radio in order for Bluetooth 10x to work. It remains to be seen which current devices can be upgraded to the new Bluetooth specification, but smartphones ought to be first in line if they want to retain the “smart” adjective in their name.