Bluetooth 4.0 expected before Christmas 2010

The new low-powered Bluetooth 4.0 standard will start to be implemented before the end of the year, with devices likely to be available in time for Christmas.

Whilst v2.1 is the current standard seen in many smartphones and wireless headsets on the market currently, the Bluetooth SIG has said that version 4.0 is already on the horizon, bringing with it the benefits of a low power mode that vastly decreases battery drain.

The low power demands of the technology now mean that it can be implemented in a whole range of new devices. Current Bluetooth standards require AAA battery power, or more, whereas the 4.0 will happily run off of a watch battery.

The new version also builds upon the increased data capabilities of build 3.0, by allowing equipped devices to piggyback onto Wi-Fi networks at speeds of up to 25Mbits per second.

It's not all good news though,in the report at Good Gear Guide despite the vast leaps in improving power consumption, it will still use roughly the same amount as version 3.0 when streaming data continuously.