BTv4.0® in Windows® 8

The advance notice goldmine that is the Qualified Listings section of the Bluetooth® SIG threw up another gem recently with the listing for Microsoft’s® Windows 8 Bluetooth support. The Qualified Device ID (QDID) number B012854 shows that Microsoft has made good on its 2011 commitment to support BTv4.0, which includes Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), natively in Windows 8.

Microsoft joins Apple®, Google®, HTC®, and Samsung® as a leading market player that has incorporated BLE into new mobile computing platform or smartphone, BLE now is positioned as the connectivity mechanism of choice for battery-conscious peripherals.

The relative success or failure of a new wireless technology is dependent on its ease of use, real world application usage, global availability, and price. BLE delivers on all of these key points. Native support in Windows 8 further ensures a successful future.