The core specifications for Bluetooth v4.0, a technology declared one of the "10 Mobile Technologies to Watch in 2010 and 2011" by Gartner based on its perceived potential to evolve and impact short-term mobile strategies and policies, have been finalized by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The next-generation Bluetooth wireless protocol promises lower power consumption and faster transmission speeds than existing Bluetooth.

Bluetooth is the less-capable, but still ubiquitous cousin of Wi-Fi. It is an open wireless technology standard used for transmitting data over short distances using short-length radio waves. It is the technology responsible for elevators full of business professionals with little device plugged into their ears appearing to talk to themselves, and the technology found in many vehicles to pair with mobile phones and provide hands-free communications.

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