Like A2DP, aptX is a compressed format to allow more data to be transmitted over limited bandwidth: it just does the compress/decompress thing better than A2DP, and in its aptX HD form allows beyond-CD 24-bit/48kHz audio to be transmitted. What turned Bluetooth into a viable audio carrier was the adoption of new audio codecs, including the default A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution) profile, which was better but still not great as it only supports compressed audio at 256kbps – think halfway-reasonable Internet radio streams – and then the arrival of third-party codecs such as Qualcomm’s aptX, which launched in 2015. For comparison, the latest Bluetooth 5 offers up to 3Mbps (much better for high-quality sound), and a range of almost a quarter of a kilometre – though not at the same time! And while it promised a heady data speed of 721kbps (just about enough for voice transmission) and a range of 10m in ideal circumstances, in the real world it was both slower and worked over much smaller distances. To be honest, the original version of Bluetooth – v1.0 – wasn’t great: it was just about good enough for mobile phone headsets, allowing users to keep their phones in their pockets when on a call. So, an odd name for what has become a ubiquitous technology, but we should consider ourselves lucky: it’s arguable Bluetooth was unlikely to have become so popular had it been called RadioWire or PAN (Personal Area Networking), which were the original titles being considered. And that distinctive Bluetooth logo? It’s formed from the runic symbols for Harald’s name. Harald had a prominent dead tooth – hence the nickname – and the unusual title for the new technology was suggested as it was intended to bring together mobile and fixed devices, just as he had united Denmark and Norway in the tenth century. Developed by mobile telecoms company Ericsson, Bluetooth was named after King Harald Gormsson, son of the splendidly name King Gorm the Old and father of the even more descriptively titled Sweyn Forkbeard.

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