Apple's Adoption of Bluetooth Low Energy Paves Way for New Possibilities

[silentnite]

I've always been a big fan of Bluetooth. It's a shame it's never really been developed for nothing more than basic file transfer etc.

[diamond.g]

Originally Posted by res1233

Airdrop doesn't require pairing, making it a bit more versatile in my mind. Plus, you can communicate with multiple computers via airdrop. Also, BT is generally too slow to make file sharing too useful. Even BT 3.0+HS uses Wi-Fi for it's increased throughput, but it still requires pairing. BT is designed for peripherals, nothing else.

The issue being (as far as I can tell) Air Drop requires a network connection. So in a way Air Drop and Bluetooth are separate things where one could do what Air Drop does, Air Drop can't do what BT does (which is provide an underlying connection between two devices).

[Sackvillenb]

Well that's cool. Bluetooth has so much more capability than what it's typically used for... hopefully this will help move things forward!

[John.B]

Originally Posted by kiljoy616

Well this is something interesting, no USB 3 but this is even better.

USB 3.0 will show up when Intel adds native support for it in their chipset. Likely in Ivy Bridge, next year.

Originally Posted by daneoni

Why didn't they put BT 4.0 into the MBPs & iMacs is my question.

Timing?

BT 4.0 is pretty new. Apple joined the Bluetooth SIG BOD in June, 2011 saying it would accelerate BT 4.0, then BT 4.0 shows up in the new mini and Air a month later. They probably weren't ready to put these in the 2011 MBP when those were released in February.

[MrSmith]

So? When I was a kid I had a magnet in my sole.

[Navdakilla]

All seem like cool concepts
but let's see what apple actually does, hopefully something soon!

[mstone1881]

Since the iPod nano went to its current shape and people started making straps for a watch I always thoug that the ideal siuation would be bluetooth notifications. I have been telling friends I am buying a nano as soon as my calendar notifications are sent to my watch, or other notifications. This is exactly what I would like it I am going to buy a nano for the use of a watch. Apple like to give people reasons to buy other things they sell because they all seem to seamlessly work together. That is the beauty of buying all apple. So I feel it would be ideal if this would work.

[accessoriesguy]

Wow that's awesome!

wait does the cell battery only work 2 years and then need to be replaced or the battery last 2 years on a single charge? i am confused, how does this work

[JAT]

Originally Posted by miles01110

Too bad Bluetooth 4.0's swiss cheese-like security is only marginally improved from earlier versions of the standard.

What about simple connectivity? Is that improved? BT is a (somewhat) necessary annoyance these days. I hate reseting keyboards and handsfree devices. I want wireless to be as consistent as wired.

[Dusky600]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_1 like Mac OS X; pt-pt) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8G4 Safari/6533.18.5)

About time we get the heart rate monitor for the iPhone !!!

[batchtaster]

Originally Posted by Popeye206

I would think it's simple that you have to do the connecting and it's not just going to be random connections. Only makes logical sense. But for those who want it, it would be very cool.

Which I agree is perfectly reasonable. However, I also find it perfectly reasonable to ask the question.

Originally Posted by arn

I find that to be such an absurd concern that I didn't even understand your question.

The technology can't do anything to your phone without your phone voluntarily reading the information. It's like being concerned that FM Radio is going to be pushed into your iPhone involuntarily. Could Apple make it that your iPhone will play any FM radio signal you walk by? Yes, it's possible... but it's not going to happen.

What you take for granted, I believe is worth asking. Which is why I asked a simple, legitimate question. You have to turn on your FM radio, while BT 4.0 is implied to be always on. I don't think it's even slightly unreasonable to ask, and I find it kind of condescending that you assume it's ridiculous to consider, particularly considering the article was so light on detail and so airy-fairy on the wonderful magical world of imaginary services and glittering lights of technology that has not arrived.

Like email was. Look where we are now with spam. Ditto Twitter, Facebook, and basically every other technology that has been abused by those who seek to profit off other people by bypassing their morals.

[SiriusExcelsior]

Originally Posted by res1233

It isn't confusing. Previous macs have 2.1+EDR, while the mini and the air have 4.0. Apple skipped entirely over 3.0.

It's confusing because the chipset supports BT 3.0, according to Broadcom themselves. I suppose they could've disabled the 3.0 part and left it working in 2.1, but I'd be interested in knowing if this is done in the driver or the firmware (or even in silicon?).

Then again, BLE only works in 4.0, so not sure how 3.0 could help, given the dearth of 3.0 devices on the market (beyond laptops and a sprinkle of mobile phones)..

[MikeELL]

Originally Posted by Mr. Gates

Longer lasting Bluetooth Headphones are all I want

I wear hearing aids - they've been making bluetooth hearing aids for a few years now but I'm hanging out for something that is both lower power and doesn't require wearing a necklace to relay the signal.

When Apple comes up with an iPhone nano wristwatch, someone comes up with bluetooth hearing aids, I'll be ready to do some cyborg styling

[b0blndsy]

Originally Posted by silentnite

I've always been a big fan of Bluetooth. It's a shame it's never really been developed for nothing more than basic file transfer etc.

No, many people think bluetooth technology is just file transfer but realty is that Bluetooth technology is beyond that and one can do lot of other things apart from just transferring files.

[rbrian]

Originally Posted by accessoriesguy

Wow that's awesome!

wait does the cell battery only work 2 years and then need to be replaced or the battery last 2 years on a single charge? i am confused, how does this work

The watch battery, which is not rechargeable, lasts for two years, at which point it must be replaced. In comparison, my Casio FX91 battery lasted for 8 years, at which point I just bought a new Casio FX91, for about twice the price of a battery. I've had it now for 5 years, and it's still going strong.

Casio watches are brilliant - even the really cheap ones are tough (except the strap) and they last for ever, or thereabouts.

[accessoriesguy]

Originally Posted by rbrian

The watch battery, which is not rechargeable, lasts for two years, at which point it must be replaced. In comparison, my Casio FX91 battery lasted for 8 years, at which point I just bought a new Casio FX91, for about twice the price of a battery. I've had it now for 5 years, and it's still going strong.

Casio watches are brilliant - even the really cheap ones are tough (except the strap) and they last for ever, or thereabouts.

ah alright, but they are replaceable right? am i the only one who thinks of a human cell when they hear cell battery?

@MikeELL ZOMG Human Cyborg Hybrid!

[rbrian]

Originally Posted by accessoriesguy

ah alright, but they are replaceable right?

Yep, a few tiny screws and the back comes off, just like any other watch.

Originally Posted by accessoriesguy

am i the only one who thinks of a human cell when they hear cell battery?

Yep, just you!

[stuffradio]

Originally Posted by japanime

I've logged about 14,000 miles using the Nike+ kit ever since it was introduced about 5 years ago. And I've burned through at least a dozen of the Nike+ sensors. Never did I have one whose battery lasted a full year.

Just sayin'...

Congrats on that! I've only logged in the hundreds of miles since September 2010. I use the GPS app, not the sensor so you don't have to burn through the sensors

[dennism1203]

I have been capturing the trend on Bluetooth 4.0 (Low Energy) and it is poised for a great take off..
http://dennismathews.wordpress.com/c...tivity-trends/