Is it an Android Phone, or is it a Condom? Have a guess. | Hacker News Reader

Is it an Android Phone, or is it a Condom? Have a guess.

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35 pointsdestraynor9 comments

Those names all seem pretty distinctive, short, appropriate, easy to spell and pronounce, likable, extendable, and protectable.

And for my childish reponse, a equally valid article could posit "Is this an Apple tablet or feminine product?".

How about "rezound"? That's not easy to spell, it's not sexy and it's neither distinctive or appropriate.

Agree.

Well, the words, in and of themselves meet most of the requirements (though I'd disagree on appropriate). But they're never just that. They always bolt on acronyms and buzzwords.

Well, a lot of people seem to want them, so I guess the strategy is working!

Joking aside, I also dislike HTC's naming strategy from last year. They've created a lot of random names/brands for their new phones, with no sense of continuation. It got confusing really fast, and I'm sure it has something to do with why their revenue took a dip in Q4 last year.

The One strategy seems to be working so far, but I'm worried they'll mess it up once again by launching 20 "One" phones throughout the year, at which point the One branding becomes as good as worthless.

Unfortunately, Samsung seems to be doing the same with the Galaxy name lately. They put it on everything from the crappy low-end phones and tablets, to the very best devices. What are consumers supposed to think about the brand?

Deleted comment

The comparison to condoms may be a little juvenile, but it is an effective way of making a valid point: many product names seem to be picked randomly with little thought these days. The practice is confusing and dilutes brands to meaningless words. What's a Motorola Droid Razr Maxx? Why does it have both the Droid and Razr brands, with Maxx tacked on at the end for good measure? How is it different than a Motorola Droid, a Motorola Razr, or the Motorola Droid Razr?

I wrote a light hearted post questioning the nature of the naming. I wasn't trying to be juvenile, just to highlight the sad state of product names.

What you did there I see it.

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