The ubiquitous wireless connectivity protocol present in a myriad of devices is due for an overhaul. Soon, the third iteration of the Bluetooth specification will be available and if things go as planned, the final spec for Bluetooth 3.0 will be here on April 21st.

Bluetooth 3.0 will focus on improving home entertainment usage, which the SIG currently sees as an under-penetrated market. They claim the new spec will be capable of transporting music libraries, DVDs and more at faster speeds, so much that a DVD could transfer in "a few seconds." Speed seems to be the most important aspect of the new spec as the current Bluetooth technology is significantly limited in terms of raw data transfer rates. Additional improvements include changes in connectivity, touted as “Enhanced Power Control” which is meant to prevent disconnects between two Bluetooth devices.

Interestingly, the Bluetooth 3.0's faster transfer speeds come due to the inclusion of Wi-Fi support - the original Bluetooth protocol acts as a negotiator, but actual data transfer occur using 802.11. It is mentioned that hardware not compatible with the Bluetooth/Wi-Fi mix will simply revert to BT only.