Bluetooth Special Interest Group meets to set the next standard

If you were in downtown Seattle last week, you may have caught a glimpse of an exotic mating ritual that leads to new gadgets being hatched.

I saw a bit of the spectacle at Fairmont Olympic Hotel, where geeks from around the world gathered for drinks, cheese and a showcase of new radio technology, hosted by the Kirkland-based Bluetooth Special Interest Group, or SIG.

Around 150 engineers were at the hotel to finalize a new version of Bluetooth that will help extend Internet connections to all sorts of devices, including watches, bathroom scales, glucose monitors and pedometers built into shoes.

After the first round at the mixer, an Apple engineer tried a crazy headset-mounted PC from Texas Instruments. An entrepreneur from Kentucky was streaming rock music from his iPhone to a Mitsubishi TV, while a Swede was talking up supercharged radios that extend Bluetooth connections nearly a mile.

The SIG's director, Mike Foley, was showing two prototype HTC phones that could wirelessly share photos by "flicking" them with a gesture on the screen, sending them almost instantly to another device.

Foley said the idea is that soon you'll be able to just "flick" photos from a phone to all sorts of nearby devices, including PCs and TVs.

The schmoozefest was part of an "all hands" meeting of the Bluetooth group, which just finalized a new version of a technology wirelessly connecting more than 3 billion gadgets.

Millions — and perhaps billions — of new gadgets will now be built using the new Bluetooth 4.0 standard. Its biggest trick is the ability to wirelessly connect inexpensive, low-power sensors in consumer, medical and industrial devices. Instead of having to constantly be recharged, these gadgets will theoretically run for a year on a single battery.

Expect to see Bluetooth 4.0 devices appear by the end of the year or in early 2011, presumably with a splash at the next Consumer Electronics Show in January.

It's a big year for these standards groups. They're ushering in the next generation of gadgets with new software and hardware designed to connect devices to each other and the Internet faster.

This can't happen soon enough for people frustrated by the time it takes to transfer high-def video or high-resolution photos, or back up a PC to an external hard drive.

But along with progress may come confusion and the realization your shiny new toy soon will be obsolete.

Here's a quick primer on a few new connectivity standards that have jelled and are now coming to computers, phones, TVs and other products.

Bluetooth 4.0

What it does: Enables companies to add Bluetooth wireless technology to "low energy" devices such as watches and health, fitness and environmental sensors. The devices are intended to run for at least a year on a single watch-type battery.

Status: The specification was introduced in December and should be finalized by July. Devices with 4.0 should go on sale by the end of 2010 or in early 2011.

Caveats: Bluetooth 4.0 "low energy" devices will require new hardware. Phones and PCs will be available with dual-mode radios that work with both "classic" Bluetooth and version 4.0.

HDMI 1.4

What it does: Sets standards for HDMI cables to support 3D and "4K" ultrahigh-definition video, with 4,096 by 2,160 pixels. Enables some HDMI cables to carry Ethernet network signals as well as audio and video content, for connecting TVs, video players and other A/V gear. Also specifies new mini HDMI plugs for camcorders and automotive use.

Status: HDMI 1.4 emerged last June, but its 3D specification was finalized just last month. TVs, receivers and other products with HDMI 1.4 are now on sale. It should be used by all major brands by the fall. Sony, for instance, is now using HDMI 1.4 in products that it's calling "3D enabled."

Caveats: I asked the HDMI licensing group if 1.4 is absolutely necessary for 3D. Sony's PlayStation 3, for instance, doesn't have 1.4 but is supposed to support 3D movies.

The response from Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing: "Source devices, such as the PS3 and many set-top boxes, will be able to be firmware upgraded to accommodate the frame compatible 3D formats. So, in effect, these devices will be able to be updated from 1.3 compliant devices to 1.4 compliance with the 3D specification."

Venuti expects to see HDMI 1.4 appear on PCs and video cards this year.

USB 3.0

What it does: Computer and electronics connector technology that moves data at up to 5 gigabits per second, or 10 times faster than the widely used USB 2.0 technology.

Status: Since January it's been starting to appear in consumer devices, including external hard drives. By 2012, 45 percent of mobile computers will have USB 3.0, research firm IDC predicts. Meanwhile, more peripheral products are appearing; the USB standards group based in Beaverton, Ore., is hosting its first workshop to certify USB 3.0 peripherals next week.

Caveats: Getting USB 3.0 incorporated into the core architecture of PCs is taking longer than expected and won't happen until 2011, according to In-Stat analyst Brian O'Rourke.

Brier Dudley's column appears Mondays. Reach him at 206-515-5687 or bdudley@seattletimes.com.