Design solutions come in all shapes and sizes. When it comes to design solutions for your mobile or cell phone however, the more compact and light-weight the solution – the better! Bluetooth is one such example, and the small wireless headsets and earpieces which first featured the Bluetooth logo are now synonymous with the hands-free convenience of chatting on the phone whilst walking or driving.

Yet Bluetooth isn’t just about phone to headset short-distance wireless access. Bluetooth technology allows any two compatible devices to exchange information. The list can include such devices as computers, MP3 players, GPS, cameras, speakers, mice and printers. Thus Bluetooth is no longer restricted to the realm of being a mobile phone deal any longer. Even mobile bloggers can take advantage of Bluetooth keyboards that are easily folded, carried and stored.

In a recent article of The Sydney Morning Herald, Louise Ingram, communications manager at Nokia phones Australia, identified the desire for developing Bluetooth devices with top quality entertainment options. ‘Headphones have come back in with the advent of serious music on the mobile’ she says, before adding that Nokia has ‘been working with people like Bose and Sennheiser for those consumers who expect to hear that second string section in Adagio.’ Nokia is also recognised as being the brains behind the Nokia 96, a much-desired development in the new generation of smart phones.

The Danish king, Harald Bluetooth, who united the warring Scandinavian territories during the Middle Ages, certainly never would have expected such as contemporary revival of his name – and especially not the Bluetooth logo incorporating the Nordic ruins for his initials! Yet his legacy manifesting incongruously through mobile phone technology has left some in the dark about style guides. The problem with Bluetooth, according to John Demezieres, an account manager at Motorola phones, is that many customers feel inhibited about wearing Bluetooth earpieces or headphones. He admits in the same article that ‘the toughest part is getting a consumer to try the experience. Once they have tried it and enjoyed the benefits, all of a sudden they don’t feel silly any more because the convenience outweighs the negatives.’ From headsets to Samsung phones to modems – looks like Bluetooth is here to stay.

This article written by James Gooding, a friend of Rubber Dragon.