Bluetooth 4.0

Fitbit has followed up its popular Flex wristband with the Bluetooth 4.0 enabled Fitbit Force. The wireless activity accessory includes most of the same features as its predecessor, but adds a new OLED display. The Force accurately measures steps, distance, calories burned, and contains an altimeter to track how high you climb each day.

The Force is also equipped with a sleep monitoring and silent wake alarm that tracks how many hours you slept, and it allows users to stay motivated with online and mobile badges and leaderboards.

iFrogz previewed the new Caliber Advantage mobile gaming controller for the iPhone 5 and iPod touch at CES in Las vegas this week. The iFrogz (a ZAGG brand) Caliber Advantage aims to give gamers a more accurate gaming experience by utilizing Bluetooth 4.0 to connect directly to the corresponding app. The case also features dual slide-out analog controls with crisp and responsive keys, and the ability to flip the device to play in portrait or landscape mode.

Kent Wuthrich, executive vice president of marketing for ZAGG, claims the Caliber Advantage "is a game-changer for the mobile platform".

"Everyone from hardcore gamers to casual players will enjoy and appreciate the control and function of the Caliber Advantage. We are committed to bringing creative product solutions to gaming with not only this revolutionary gaming controller, but also a full line-up of gaming-specific audio products."

Whether you prefer analog or digital watches, there are now an increasing number of options for iPhone owners looking to take advantage of Bluetooth 4. The low-power technology makes it possible for these watches to connect to the iPhone all day and deliver alerts and data directly from the smartphone. Citizen and Casio have independently announced two options for those who will be in the market for a new wristwatch.

On the left, Casio's entry is the Bluetooth G-Shock which retails for $180 and delivers all kinds of data via the digital display. On the right, analog fans will find the Citizen Eco-Drive Proximity fetching $495 and delivering alerts through vibration and notification areas on the watch face. The Proximity comes in two color combinations, blue accents with a silver body or green accents with a black body.

In case you missed it, the jailbreak-like application Bluetooth OnOff is still available in the iTunes App Store. Even though the app seems to be in violation of Apple's App Store guidelines, it has managed to survive for six days now. It's unknown whether Apple will pull the app or let it remain, but to be safe, you should probably act quickly.

Bluetooth OnOff offers a simple solution to one of the biggest iPhone complaints -- the ability to activate and deactivate your bluetooth easily. Normally a user must navigate to Settings/General/Bluetooth/Toggle to switch their bluetooth on or off. This application saves you time by allowing you to toggle your bluetooth settings just by launching the app. It also offers some kind of bluetooth chat option, but most iPhone owners will only be interested in the simple toggle feature.

Yes, the iPhone 4S is Bluetooth Smart Ready, but what exactly does that mean? It may be the first smartphone to support the new Bluetooth 4 wireless standard, however many consumers are in the dark about its improvements and benefits. So how will the addition of the latest Bluetooth technology really affect prospective iPhone 4S buyers and owners of the device?

The upgraded Bluetooth was one of the top iPhone 4S surprises not mentioned at the Apple keynote presentation. One of the reasons it was left on the back burner could be the fact that peripherals using the new standard with iPhone 4S don't yet exist. Although this is an area where future development looks bright, the technology hasn't hit prime time.