Texas Instruments unveiled a Bluetooth LE (low energy) cell demo during a Bluetooth conference in Germany this week. Texas Instruments claimed that the device will consume so little power that it would allow wireless connectivity to run on devices for very long periods of time: A small button cell battery, for example, could power a device without recharging for more than a year, TI said.

The company said that ideal applications for low-power devices include fitness applications like pedometers as well as medical equipment.

The Continua Health Alliance has already tapped Bluetooth LE as one of its guidelines for personal health devices interoperability: "Bluetooth low energy technology is a power efficient, short-range wireless technology that offers connectivity between mobile devices and small, battery-powered devices such as watches, emergency pendants and health and fitness sensors. It features low power consumption, small size and low cost, providing Continua a reliable solution to enable mobile devices for a wide range of telehealth audiences. Bluetooth low energy technology extends the current Continua standard for the Bluetooth Health Device Profile, the only wireless technology specification included in Continua’s Version One Design Guidelines, announced in February 2009," Continua wrote in its press release that announced the chosen technology this past June.

For more on TI's demo this week, read this report from Electronista