12. September 2007 · Comments Off on Weird Crap You Learn When Working With Cell Phones · Categories: General

Do you remember that Radio Shack Commercial where the folks are sitting in Santa’s chair and one of them goes off on a rant about, “What is Bluetooth anyway?”  Okay, most of the folks who come here already know basically what Bluetooth is.  It’s a wireless technology similar to the networks created by wireless computer networks, basically linking one device to another.  There are Bluetooth handsets, that you can link with Bluetooth headsets and then your not only hands free, but you’re wireless and then even the folks doing the Thorazine Shuffle at WalMart at 2 in the morning are looking at you funny as you apparently talk to yourself.

Now…where do you think they got the name Bluetooth?  I thought it had something to do with the little flashing blue light that some of the devices have on them.  Figure the first device had one and some guy in marketing just went, “Hey, looks like a blue tooth!” and there we went.

No my friends, that’s not what happened.

The Bluetooth technology is actually named after Harald Bluetooth Gormson or Harald the First of Denmark, who’s credited with being one of the first Danes to be friendly towards Christianity and for uniting Denmark and Norway in the 900s.  Apparently it was a nod towards the Netherlands’ contributions to wireless technology.  Bluetooth united some of the Netherlands and Bluetooth devices unite with other devices.

And there you have a bit of weird trivia you can use when weird trivia is appropriate.

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