Sports Technology & Communications News from Around the World

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has announced the start of the second Bluetooth Innovation World Cup. After having a successful competition in the year 2009, the trade organization has decided to once again call on developers, entrepreneurs and students to submit their concepts for applications using the new Bluetooth low energy wireless technology. 

The 2010 Bluetooth Innovation World Cup will be focusing on applications used in the sports & fitness, healthcare, home information and control markets.

" Bluetooth Version 4.0, which introduces low energy technology, offers an enormous potential for the development of innovative wireless solutions within a very wide application range," said Michael Foley, the executive director of the Bluetooth SIG. " The specification offers a global standard for obtaining and measuring real-time performance data that can be transmitted directly to the Internet via the mobile phone, which is without a doubt the most important mobile information hub of the future.

Through the Bluetooth Innovation World Cup, the Bluetooth SIG is fostering the imagination and creativity of developers seeking to create innovative new devices and to enhance existing Bluetooth technology applications."

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) comprises of the biggest players in the telecommunications, computing, consumer electronics, automotive and network industries, which are driving the development of Bluetooth wireless technology and bringing it to the market. The Bluetooth SIG has its headquarters located at Kirkland, Wash.

Physical Activity Innovations LLC was the winner of IWC last year. Edward Sazonov, Vice President Engineering of Physical Activity Innovations LLC said, "Since winning the first Bluetooth Innovation World Cup in 2009, life has been truly fascinating. We have further developed our winning idea, the Fit Companion. After a first, positive series of tests this spring, we are now ready for a final round of testing this summer. After that, the Fit Companion will be ready for extensive human trials, where we will continually refine the user interface so that people will be motivated to use the product every day to become more active."

The capabilities of the Fit Companion product also include motivational feedback being sent through Bluetooth low energy technology to the user's cell phone.