The Bluetooth SIG today unveiled and formally adopted Bluetooth 3.0, a much higher speed iteration of the short-range wireless technology promising data transfers at up to 24 Mbps, or roughly as fast as the low-end of a Wi-Fi network. This is a huge leap from the roughly 3Mbps speed of the previous Bluetooth specification.

“Like Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights, this latest version was ‘born to go fast,’” claimed Bluetooth SIG executive director, Michael Foley, Ph.D. in a release.

What does this mean for consumers? Expect Bluetooth data transfers to become more common. Large amounts of data, including music files, videos, and photos will be able to be transferred from device to device sans wires; a task the slower Bluetooth 2.1 rendered inefficient. This could take the form of digital cameras that automatically uploads photos to a printer or PC, or a wireless sync from iTunes to your iPhone.

The formal adoption phase is the first step in a product lifecycle. Consumers can expect to see products utilizing Bluetooth 3.0 on store shelves in 9 to 12 months.