Some device names sound a little too... sexy

Designers love giving products fancy names that the public perceive as positive. Take the HTCDesire series for example, there is Sensation, Intensity, Indulge, Vitality, Touch…

The brand expert Marty Neumeier said that a good product name requires 7 characteristics. The name should be distinctive, short, appropriate, easy to spell and pronounce, likeable, extendable, and protectable. However, there are 100 phone names here, and it’s clear that a lot of Android manufacturers don’t agree with Marty’s ideals.

Fundamentally, the concepts behind branding are pretty simple. If you want to sell a drug that treats erectile dysfunction, you give it a name that suggests a condition opposite to that of the disorder: “health”, “strength”, and “vigor” could come to mind. Settling on the ideal choice – let’s say you go with “vigor” – you then have to come up with a slick-sounding name that incorporates aspects of the word without being too overt about it. That’s easier said than done, especially if you want a name to roll off a persons tongue.

Amusingly, one person has noticed that the names given to some Android devices also share branding with condom manufacturers. How many? More than you might think.

So, how many more condom brand names can Android devices take? If a device called “Trojan” comes out soon, I will be astounded, however, I am expecting that this one has already been discarded due to the subliminal associations.

Any ideas?