For all of you history buffs and technology geeks out there you may enjoy reading this short article about the History of Bluetooth Technology. This simple chronology of the milestones and achievements of Bluetooth show us that although it all started in 1998, the technology is still in its infancy and we can expect further development and enhancements in the near future. Personally, I like to dream about what the next generation can do for us. The sky is the limit.
1998 | SIG Formed, History of Bluetooth Begins
This is when and how it all got started. A group of 5 companies formed the Bluetooth Special Interest Group known as SIG to collaborate on the technology and agree on how they could harness its tremendous capability. While the acronym SIG officially stands for “Special Interest Group” I like to think of it as “Super Intelligent Genius’s.” I like my acronym description better!
1999 | Best in Show
It didn’t take the SIG long to roll out the specifications for Bluetooth 1.0 which earned them top honors at the COMDEX show, receiving the “Best of Show Technology Award.” Off to an incredible start wouldn’t you say!
2000 | Headsets & Mobile Phones
In keeping with their fast pace, they introduced the first mobile phone equipped with Bluetooth technology. They didn’t stop there; the first Bluetooth equipped headset was shipped in 2000. Hitting the show circuit again, the USB Prototype was shown at COMDEX and a prototype mouse and laptop was one of the top demonstrations at CeBIT. In the same year the first PC card was introduced as well as the first chip with integrated radio frequency and Bluetooth wireless software.
2001 | Printers, Laptops, & Hands Free Car Phones
Bluetooth technology continued to spread like wildfire in 2001. This was certainly a breakthrough year in the history of Bluetooth with the introduction of the first Bluetooth printer, the first Bluetooth laptop, the first hands-free car kit. Taking things to a whole new level, the first hands-free car kit featuring speech recognition. How cool is that!