The Bluetooth Special Interest Group said Wednesday that it had published Bluetooth 4.1, which prepares Bluetooth peripherals for the "Internet of Things" by allowing them to serve as both hub and peripheral devices, and paving the way for them to directly connect to the Internet.
Put another way, Bluetooth 4.1 devices like fitness trackers will be able to collate data from sensors like heart monitors and temperature gauges, then report back to a smartphone with their findings. In turn, those phones could be used as sensors that other devices can communicate with and pull data from.
The update is the first major release since late 2010, when the SIG announced Bluetooth 4.0 or Bluetooth Smart, an update that reduced the power consumed by Bluetooth devices. A spokeswoman for the SIG said that she expects to see several chip companies announce Bluetooth 4.1-compatible products as soon as qualifications are enabled on December 10.
And there's some more good news: "The updates are all software related, so an over the air update can upgrade [Bluetooth] radios that are currently in market," the spokeswoman added.
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