The incredible shrinking iPhone 5 dock
The next iPhone may not have the same connector dock, LG's TVs are getting appy, and Bridget asks, "What's in a tech name?" Clearly not vowels.
- Bridget has spent over 18 years as a consumer tech reporter, hosting daily tech news shows and writing syndicated newspaper columns. She's often a guest on national radio and television stations, including ABC, CBS, CNBC and NBC.
You ready to play the tech name game?
For starters, it's a juicy day for iPhone 5 rumors. The next iPhone could have a smaller dock connector with 19 pins, instead of Apple's typical 30-pin port. TechCrunch is reporting that three manufacturing sources say Apple will be using a port that's roughly the size of a micro USB. If there's truth to this, get ready to dish out money for new accessories. It won't fit that pretty little iHome charging dock anymore. (But hey, Apple fans always dish out money for new accessories. So no problem there.)
Google TV will face more competition. Television manufacturers LG and Philips are teaming up to create a universal platform for apps on televisions, called The Smart TV Alliance. You could wait over a year for that to roll out, or just buy some gadgets now to wise-up that current TV of yours. Sony's coming out with a new take on Google TV, or you can just slap on a video chat device to your TV -- like the TelyHD or the Biscotti.
In yesterday's show, I pronounced an app name wrong, and I wanted to set the record straight in today's video. Waze should be said "ways" (regardless of the fact that I think "wazie" makes for a more exciting name). But the mistake made with Waze highlights a bigger issue with tech product names.
Everyone wants to be an Internet star, and pretty much every dictionary-friendly .com domain has been snatched. So what happens? Companies go for "creative" spellings. (Remember Qwikster? Oh yeah you do.) Problem is, the more creative the name, the harder it is to get people to learn it.
How would you pronounce the shopping app Shooger? It's "sugar." Not so sweet getting people to remember that spelling.
How about the app Tawkon? Might look like a boss name in Mortal Kombat, but its pronounced "talk on." The app says it monitors phone radiation levels.
And the startup company Oomnitza? I don't know where to begin.
Vowels get no respect. Flickr. Tumblr. Snackr. Trendabl. (Motorola has a history of dissin' the e with the Rokr and Razr.) Maybe Asus bought up all the unwanted e's for its oddly-named Eee PC computer line?
Even worse, the letter A is being tossed aside. The music app Rdio causes your brain to stumble. Is it "radio?" Nope. It's "R-dio." (Atrocious, I know.) Microsoft's latest tablet is made of Vapor Mg, and you're supposed to call it Vapor "Mag."
Let's stop fussing with the vowels and stick to something we can all support: Compounds. What's SwiftKey? Clearly for typing. ScoreBig? It's gotta be about sports. Flipboard. Socialcam. Dropbox. PhotoToaster. If you want your app to be remembered, just pick one word that has to do with your app, and another random noun or verb. Or just use the handy dandy Web 2.0 tech name generator.
Is there a tech name that drives you bonkers? Use Tout to message Bridget with a 15 second video reply from your webcam or smartphone camera. Or, simply post a reply video to the CNET YouTube channel. You can also send an email.
Subscribe: iTunes (HD) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (640x360)