ABI Research released a report that says high speed Bluetooth will be a winner with mobile users who transfer large files. High speed Bluetooth uses both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to improve over normal Bluetooth transmission rates.

"Bluetooth penetration in cellular handsets is at an all-time high," says senior analyst Douglas McEuen. "But it has a short range and fairly low data transfer capabilities. Users' growing desire to share pictures, audio, and video makes demands on Bluetooth that it was never designed to handle." So the Bluetooth Special Interest Group has announced a technology - "High Speed Bluetooth" - that hands off transmissions of large data files (such as multimedia) to the faster 802.11 radios that are increasingly found in the same Bluetooth-equipped devices. When that extra throughput is no longer needed, Bluetooth automatically takes over again, resulting in power savings.

ABI says the first time high speed Bluetooth is seen it will be a software patch that allows both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios to work together. ABI adds that current users shouldn’t expect to see high speed Bluetooth on tier existing phones even if it is Wi-Fi equipped. The upgrade is expected to appear in new handsets and other devices late in 2008.

Via ABI Research