Faster Bluetooth 10x, 100x due out in mid-2009

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has announced it will introduce two new Bluetooth standards, called 10x and 100x, by the middle of 2009, according to a Thursday report. The former, 10x, will work together with WLAN for faster data transfer rates, while Bluetooth 100x will have use USB-like speeds, although without wires. Currently, Bluetooth 2.0 is capable of a maximum of 3Mbps. The new 10x standard should increase that cap to 30Mbps, while the 100x, as the name implies, up to at least 300Mbps.

The new speeds should allow for wireless video streaming or printing via mobile devices, though handsets will need to have WLAN or ultra wideband (UWB) radios. Bluetooth 10x will make the debut initially because current handsets have the necessary built-in Wi-Fi (WLAN) modules to support its data link feature, while the fastest Bluetooth 100x will need to wait for the more widespread integration of faster UWB radios to accommodate the higher Bluetooth speeds.