The name Kindle Fire: Hot or not?

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At first glance, Kindle Fire seems like a pretty good name. It uses a thematically coherent naming strategy, similar to the one that Apple used when it named the Macintosh, presumably inspired by the apple variety McIntosh. What’s more, the word fire, like the word apple, is simple and familiar, and has lots of metaphorical significance and emotional… Read More…

Microstyle: The Art of Writing Little (Book Excerpt)

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[Editor's Note: Seattle author Christopher Johnson, aka The Name Inspector, shares an excerpt from his newly-released book, Microstyle: The Art of Writing Little, with GeekWire. In this chapter, Coin a New Word, Johnson discusses the origins of a number of high-tech names, from Google and Bing to Fandango and Jobster. The book, published by W.W. Norton &... Read More…

In wake of Tulalip name dust-up, match these Microsoft code-names to the actual product

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Is Microsoft’s use of the Tulalip name for a secret, internal social networking effort insensitive to the Native American tribe? That’s the question on the minds of some in Snohomish County where the Tulalips live. Here’s the back story: Last week, Microsoft inadvertently released a Web site touting a new social sharing service called Socl.com,… Read More…

How EA could have spent $1.3B on a company called Sexy Action Cool

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Do you think Electronic Arts would have shelled out $1.3 billion for a company called Sexy Action Cool? It could have happened if PopCap Games stuck with its original name. Before it unleashed massive hits on the planet like Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies, PopCap was actually known as Sexy Action Cool. No joke. That… Read More…

Zillow drops the dot com: Is it even relevant anymore in a mobile world?

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I’ve been covering Zillow from its inception, stretching back to 2005 when it was just a seed of an idea. During that time, I almost always referred to the Seattle online real estate company as Zillow.com. (I recall being admonished by company PR reps on occasion for dropping the dot com in some of my… Read More…