Back in 2002 there was a little known function built into some mobile phones call Bluetooth. To put this into perspective this was at the same time that mobiles with a 4 colour screen were cutting edge and wap was the nearest thing to internet any phone could offer. Now Bluetooth had been around for nearly a decade already but it hadn't made it as a well known product. 2002 was a time for change in the world of mobile phones. Monochrome was replace by colour and the first camera phones, BTCellnet became O2 and One2One became T-Mobile, Sony and Ericsson started a joint venture and became Sony Ericsson and were in a prime position to make Bluetooth the must have function in mobile phones. When use of a handheld phone while driving was outlawed the following year sales of Bluetooth handsfree devices shot up as people started looking for the best ways around the ban. Then when Sony announced the Playstation 3 in 2005 sure enough Bluetooth was the wireless connection of choice for controller and accessories.
That brings me up to date. While I've obviously not mentioned every step along the way it's clear to me that Bluetooth has gone from being an obscure function on some mobile phone made by a struggling manufacturer to something in almost every new mobile and many other devises. Even as I type I have a Bluetooth dongle in the side of my laptop (allowing my wireless mouse to work) and I'm controlling the video I'm watching with the single greatest gadget ever!
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| The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread! |
Yup, a remote control. But unlike any other remote I have this one uses Bluetooth to talk to the PS3. That means I don't have to wave my arms around trying to make sure I've got line of sight, I don't have to move things out the way of some little sensor or anything like that. My magical Bluetooth remote, that's how it works by the way: magic, means I can look at what button I want to press and press it. I can point the remote backwards or even leave the room with it as I pause a movie, skip a song or do whatever. It's such a mini liberation that I was disappointed that my new HD TV didn't use Bluetooth, it feels like a step backwards to point a remote at the device I want to control. Jeez it's just so uncouth.
So what's my point, why do I want a time machine? Well, unlike some other inventions or technologies Bluetooth has slowly but surely grown into something that every home has and no doubt will continue to be adopted into more and more devices. With my time machine my 2002 self would have purchased some shares in that fledgling tech. Why not just exploit the lottery you ask?Well, investing in Bluetooth and the Smurfs that make it work would earn me a modest income continually rather than a huge amount as a one off. Anyway if you're still worried about the time machine (which would definitely be Bluetooth compatible) you've missed the point!
Cheers,
R.
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