When Apple announced the 2005 speedbumps to their venerable PowerBook G4 lineup they became the first manufacturer to release a notebook computer equipped with Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) which increases the data rate to 3Mbit/sec., from 1Mbit/sec. in Bluetooth (v.1.2). Read more…
When Apple announced the 2005 speedbumps to their venerable PowerBook G4 lineup they became the first manufacturer to release a notebook computer equipped with Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) which increases the data rate to 3Mbit/sec., from 1Mbit/sec. in Bluetooth (v.1.2).
The main features of Bluetooth Core Specification Version 2.0+EDR are:
– 3 times faster transmission speed (up to 10 times in certain cases)
– Lower power consumption through reduced duty cycle
– Simplification of multi-link scenarios due to more available bandwidth
– Backwards compatible to earlier versions
– Further improved BER (Bit Error Rate) performance
Inside Bluetooth 2.0 by Glenn Fleishman extolls the virtues of Bluetooth 2.0+EDR in mobile phone headsets:
The raw speed improvement in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR is significant, but passing more data isn’t as important as preserving battery life. Because a device like a telephone headset can transmit the same information faster, Foley says, it will use less energy since the radio is on for shorter periods of time. Newer Bluetooth devices are efficient at using extremely small amounts of power when not actively transmitting.
“Because the headset is able to burst two to three times more data in a transmission, it is able to sleep longer between transmissions,” Foley says. He expects that existing headsets will be updated to 2.0 to last longer between charges, while there will also be headsets with smaller batteries and new form factors that take advantage of this power conservation. For instance, a headset that might last 90 minutes between charges with Bluetooth 1.2 could last more then four hours when upgraded to 2.0+EDR.
Other benefits of Bluetooth 2.0+EDR functional differences include:
– Multicast up to seven other devices at once, current BT devices can only communicate one to one.
– Increased data throughput for streaming CD-quality audio, digital image transfer and laser printing. This also means that it draws less power because the radio is on less, saving on battery life.
– Better streaming audio for stereo headsets when the radio link is marginal. The implications here are huge for a Bluetooth iPod.
– Support for simultaneous profiles that need a lot of data capability.
– Enables the use of input devices that require extreme responsiveness, like game controllers.
