Bluetooth 4.1 devices are not plentiful despite the specification being finished back in 2013. However, the specification for Bluetooth 4.2 has been published recently and brought along to the table key features that should make mobile users euphoric.
The most important aspect of the Bluetooth 4.2 specification is the increased privacy protection. This has long been a problem for Bluetooth since its inception, and while many changes have been made in the past, it wasn’t enough to protect users from hackers nearby who might want to snoop around.
The privacy of new Bluetooth devices has decreased with the rise of Bluetooth 4.0 LE because hackers could discover them automatically. The only way for this to be avoided, owners have to turn off their Bluetooth, and not everyone are technically minded to know how.
With Bluetooth 4.2, mobile users will be given the option to give permission before their device can be tracked by another. Store owners in the United States tend to follow Bluetooth devices, so users can choose whether or not they want to whitelist or blacklist a store from doing so.
In addition, this new feature should in some ways increase battery life, especially for folks who regularly have to travel past stores because their device won’t be continually awaken.
We should also point out that version 4.2 fixes an issue that allows hackers to take control of a person’s smartphone.
Apart from the increased privacy, the specification brings along with it increased speed. This time around, the increase is x2.5 that of the previous version, so sharing content with family and friends should be a breeze. This is thanks to an increase in packet capacity, which will also lead to fewer errors during transfer.
The new Bluetooth 4.2 specification will also add support for IPv6, a package that allows devices to connect to the Internet directly. This should cause for better connectivity and increased speed when browsing the web over Bluetooth.
So far the new features laid out here are quite impressive, and mobile users have every reason to be happy. Unfortunately, mobile users will have to purchase new devices to take advantage of some of the features of version 4.2. However, the increased privacy specification will be released to Bluetooth 4.0 and 4.1 compatible devices, and to us, that is the biggest and most important move.
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