Bluetooth was the nickname of Harald I who ruled Denmark in the tenth century and managed to unite various Scandinavian tribes into a single kingdom.
Skipping forward a millennium we find this achievement catching the attention of Intel executive Jim Kardach. While devising a tool to allow the easy exchange of information over short distances between different devices, Kardach was reading The Long Ships, a novel based on Harald’s time as King. In 1997, Kardach adopted the name Bluetooth to signify his attempts to unify the PC and cellular industries with one innovative wireless link. The technology went viral, as did wireless internet connections.
The Bluetooth protocol makes it possible for mobile phones to link to a hands-free headset and enables wireless connections between mouse, keyboard and printer. Today we take its use for granted, and approximately 2 billion units including Bluetooth technology are sold each year.
But even after a thousand years, the Bluetooth story is far from complete. It is widely expected that smart phones and sensor devices such as heart rate monitors and sports watches will drive up use of Bluetooth technology by a factor of ten over the next five years. Harold I has come a long way.
