New tooth: Bluetooth evolves

A wonderful comprehensive article on the origin and evolution of Bluetooth technology and why it has been slow to catch on in the US by Asutralian IT.

"The Bluetooth Special Interest Group was founded in 1998, and has enjoyed the support of some big industry players such as Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba, all of which were charter sponsors.

Despite that support, and continual revision of the basic standard to ensure it connects a range of devices, even gadget fiends have tended to ignore Bluetooth until comparatively recently, casting its charms aside in favour of dalliance with its rivals.

One problem may be the relatively incomprehensible name (that of a 10th-century Danish king, and initially intended purely as a pre-release code-name), which lacks the snappiness and attractiveness of WiFi, for example.

... in the mobile phone arena, Bluetooth has already given rise to some urban myths, such as "toothing" (propositioning strangers on a train or in other public place by sending them a raunchy text message in the form of a business card via Bluetooth).

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emily | 5:42 PM | Technology |
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