The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has made a formal announcement that it is adopting the Bluetooth 2.1 standard for its future devices. An upgrade from the 2.0, the new tech sees the implementation of Sniff Subrating technique that improves battery life five times in gadgets that requires constant use of data; e.g. watches, mice, and keyboards. The 2.1 will also simplify the pairing process; the host device will automatically pair with the other devices by looking for certain device classes like headsets, instead of needing actions on both ends. Another method of pairing may require a six-digit password to safeguard against hijacking else one could also opt for the "near-field" communication to pair with devices that are in close proximity.

Hopefully a simple chipset upgrade should suffice for devices to be Bluetooth 2.1 compatible. No word on release dates.