The Board of Directors of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) approved the Bluetooth Specification 2.1+EDR on Wednesday. The new standard offers better security, simplified pairing and better power consumption, according to the Bluetooth SIG Press Release on Wednesday.
"The simplified pairing process enabled by Version 2.1+EDR has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from media, analysts and member companies. This leap forward in usability further improves the Bluetooth experience and makes the technology easy for anyone to enjoy," said Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director of the Bluetooth SIG. "Also, in our effort to unite wireless technologies, Version 2.1+EDR enables the ultra short range technology called Near Field Communication (NFC) for a pairing scenario that is as simple as touching the products together."
In addition to the improved pairing, the new standard provides better power utilization via Sniff Subrating, a process that increases the battery life up to five times in devices such as mice, keyboards, watches, and medical devices.
A video demonstration of the new Bluetooth technology is available at the Gear Live site.