Bluetooth friendly names: bringing classic HCI questions into the mobile space

We explore the use of Bluetooth friendly names within the mobile space. Each Bluetooth-enabled device possesses a short string known as a ‘friendly name’ used to help identify a device to human users. In our analysis, we collected friendly names in use on 9,854 Bluetooth-enabled devices over a 7-month period. These names were then classified and the results analysed. We discovered that a broad range of HCI themes are applicable to the domain of Bluetooth friendly names, including previous work on personalisation, naming strategies and anonymity in computer mediated communication. We also found that Bluetooth is already being used as a platform for social interaction and communication amongst collocated groups and has moved beyond its original intention of file exchange.