We all have used Bluetooth Technology, and its logo is also quite well known. However, do you know the origin of the word Bluetooth, and the reason why its logo looks how its looks? The Bluetooth technology was originally developed by Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (commonly known as Ericsson) and is presently used in many different products developed by several manufacturers.
The word Bluetooth and its logo and the composite mark (above) are registered trademarks of Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG). It is a Kirkland, Washington-based not-for-profit standards organization that oversees the development of Bluetooth standards and the licensing of the Bluetooth technologies and trademarks to manufacturers.
They do not manufacture any Bluetooth-enabled devices; it is responsible for licensing the Bluetooth trademarks to companies that are incorporating Bluetooth technology in their products.
The word Bluetooth traces its origin to 10th Century King of Norway and Denmark Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson, who is believed to have lived in Denmark around 910-940 AD, credited for uniting the then warring Scandinavian tribes.
In 1996, when erstwhile major players of the industry Intel, Ericsson, and Nokia, collaborated to standardize the use of short-range radio technology enabling connectivity between mobile phones and notebooks to other devices using the short-range, low-power, and inexpensive wireless radios
, Jim Kardach, the founding chairman of BLUETOOTH SIG, suggested “Bluetooth” as a temporary code name for all. Kardach quoted “King Harald Bluetooth was famous for uniting Scandinavia just as we intended to unite the PC and cellular industries with a short-range wireless link.
The Bluetooth Logo also comprises the alphabet H and B initials of Harald Bluetooth.