NEED TO KNOW: Bluetooth Smart

How the new low-power data-link tech is fuelling innovative new travel gadgets

Our smartphone’s ability to talk to gadgets is all down to Bluetooth Smart. Perhaps one day all of our gadgets, home appliances and even our cars will be on a mobile 4G network, but for now it’s a streamlined technology called Bluetooth Smart – also known as Bluetooth 4.0 and Bluetooth Low Energy – that is ushering-in a new generation of connected electronics ideal for travellers.

Linking gadgets

An intelligent, low-energy version of the same Bluetooth tech we’ve all been using for yonks, Bluetooth Smart links gadgets together – as it always did. It does away with the annoying and time-consuming pairing process, and uses almost no power to exchange data between a gadget and – typically – a smartphone.

500 million devices

Supported by all smartphones running iOS, Android and Windows, Bluetooth Smart is already in 500 million devices and is predicted to be used by three billion in just four years’ time. Why do we need Bluetooth Smart? It’s links headphones, headsets like Google Glass, smart watches, wristbands, and any other smartphone accessory you can think off – and it keeps them connected forever. Once you’ve paired with a gadget over Bluetooth, they’re mates for life – and not a cable in sight

This article is based on a version previously published on MSN Tech UK