Bluetooth Smart Technology
Bluetooth Smart is a newer, smarter (kindler, gentler) power-conscious Bluetooth technology. Bluetooth Smart was necessary in order to provide a low-power, smart device solution for wearables and other products that couldn’t use the more robust, power-hungry versions of the technology. Bluetooth Smart can work in mobile devices that run off tiny batteries—and it can do so for extended periods of time. It’s really designed not to do a lot of heavy lifting, but to connect to your existing smartphone or portable devices and interface them with even more portable reduced-size devices. The Apple Watch is a great case in point. Bluetooth Smart allows for simple interaction between that device and the iPhone you already carry in your pocket—all while taking very little power to run. Bluetooth Smart is designed for size and power reduction—basically the growing “Internet of Things”.
There are already billions of connected devices, and more and more are coming online each day. By the end of the decade there will be tens of billions of connected devices, and Bluetooth Smart technology is designed to facilitate this mass connectivity needed to keep everything in communication with each other. Smart phones are just the beginning, Next we’ll have (or already do have) smart watches, smart shoes, smart monitors, smart thermostats, smart refrigerators, and even smart belts. While Bluetooth has gained a major foothold in the PC, desktop and laptop market, it’s movement into smart phones and portable music really slowed it to take off. Now, Bluetooth Smart technology is aiming at all of these smaller portable devices that require connectivity, but without all of the overhead of WiFi b/g/n/ac and it’s inherent power requirements. Wearables, in particular, are going to explode in the market over the next several years.
What Bluetooth Smart Means for You
Since Bluetooth Smart is built as an easy-to-use, easy-to-implement technology, it contains very simple application development parameters. That means it’s easy to make apps for any device across any operating system. It’s a low costs solution as well, and it can be used to bring connectivity to common household or commercial devices—whether they be a heart-rate monitors, shoes, toys, appliances, or anything else. Those devices can then be automatically and easily connected with your existing Bluetooth Smart compatible smartphone, tablet, or laptop. If it’s electronic, it can be connected with Bluetooth Smart.
Bluetooth Smart Ready Addendum
There seems to be some confusion with regard to Bluetooth Smart and Bluetooth Smart Ready products. Bluetooth Smart Ready indicates a phone, tablet, PC, or TV that can connect with both traditional Bluetooth products and super energy-efficient Bluetooth Smart sensors.
