Who is that guy talking to?
No less than two years ago, you would have looked suspiciously at someone walking down the street talking to himself. You might have even crossed the road to avoid him. Today, however, we immediately assume that person is on his cell phone and using a wireless Bluetooth connection. The guy talking to himself is no longer crazy -- he's really important.
How quickly age-old perceptions can change. And how quickly paradigms can shift.
So where was Bluetooth 10 years ago? It didn't exist. In fact, the Bluetooth name wasn't even coined until 1998.
Despite its brief history, Bluetooth technology has quickly caught on with consumers and changed the way people work and communicate. Agere Systems
Profit from change
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Beat the market to the punch
Timing matters when it comes to paradigm-shifting technology. For example, investors who picked up shares of Yahoo!
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This article was originally published on Sept. 26, 2006. It has been updated.
History major Todd Wenning appreciates that the name Bluetooth is taken from the 10th-century Danish King Harold Blatand. He does not own shares in any company mentioned. Dow is a Motley Fool Income Investor pick. Yahoo! is a Stock Advisor choice. Microsoft is an Inside Value selection. The Fool's disclosure policy shifts paradigms like nobody's business.
