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Bluetooth

Bluetooth Articles

What is Bluetooth?

Bluetooth technology was first conceived in 1994 by Ericsson, the Swedish telecommunications company. The goal was to develop a wireless headset, in response to a study predicting a massive growth in mobile communication. However, it soon became apparent that this technology could have broader implications beyond just headsets.

The name "Bluetooth" is derived from the 10th-century Scandinavian King Harald Bluetooth, who is credited with uniting disparate Danish tribes into a single kingdom. This was seen as a fitting metaphor for the technology's intent to unite various devices and enable them to communicate seamlessly.

History of Bluetooth

  1. 1994: Birth of Bluetooth: Ericsson starts a study to investigate the feasibility of a low-power, low-cost radio interface between mobile phones and their accessories. The idea for Bluetooth was born.
  2. 1998: Bluetooth SIG Formed: The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), a not-for-profit trade association, was formed by Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Nokia, and Toshiba to oversee the development of the technology, grow the brand, and drive the market.
  3. 1999: Bluetooth 1.0: The first version of Bluetooth was launched. The adoption rate was slow due to interoperability issues and high power consumption.
  4. 2004: Bluetooth 2.0: This version introduced Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) which provided faster data transfer. This improved the user experience significantly.
  5. 2009: Bluetooth 3.0 + HS: Bluetooth 3.0 introduced the high-speed (HS) feature, which made it possible to have high-speed data transfer using a WiFi link.
  6. 2010: Bluetooth 4.0: This version introduced Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), providing drastically reduced power consumption, which opened up new applications for Bluetooth in healthcare, fitness, security, and home entertainment industries.
  7. 2014: Bluetooth 4.2: Improved data transfer, privacy and increased speed.
  8. 2016: Bluetooth 5: Doubled the speed and quadrupled the range, while increasing the capacity of connectionless data broadcasts by 800 percent. It was designed to meet the demands of the 'Internet of Things' (IoT).
  9. 2019: Bluetooth 5.1: Introduced direction finding capabilities, allowing devices to determine the direction of a Bluetooth signal, thereby improving location services.
  10. 2020: Bluetooth 5.2: This version introduced LE Audio, a new architecture for supporting audio services over Bluetooth Low Energy, including support for hearing aids.
  11. 2021: Bluetooth 5.3: Introduced AdvDataInfo in Periodic Advertising; Host to Controller Encryption Key Control Enhancements; LE Enhanced Connection Update; and LE Channel Classification.

Bluetooth technology is an integral part of billions of devices worldwide, providing a simple, universal method for different devices to connect and communicate with each other. It continues to evolve, with newer versions bringing more enhancements and improvements.