.KEYWORD rename
.FLYINGHEAD PALM DEVICE USERS SPEAK OUT
.TITLE Join the crusade to rename the Device Formerly Known as PalmPilot
.OTHER
.SUMMARY It saddens us when too much time goes by without being yelled at by the management at 3Com. We feel lonely and unloved. So, since we haven’t recently done anything blatant to get ourselves in trouble with the mother ship (that we’ve gotten caught at), we figured it was time to run this great article by Alan Macy. The opinions are solely his own, but the decision to run this article rests squarely on the shoulders of your somewhat irresponsible and irrepressible editors.
.AUTHOR Alan Macy
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
It saddens us when too much time goes by without being yelled at by the management at 3Com. We feel lonely and unloved. So, since we haven’t recently done anything blatant to get ourselves in trouble with the mother ship (that we’ve gotten caught at), we figured it was time to run this great article by Alan Macy. The opinions are solely his own, but the decision to run this article rests squarely on the shoulders of your somewhat irresponsible and irrepressible editors.
.END_SIDEBAR
The Palm computing device thing is having an identity crisis. Due to international trademark disputes and high-level committee decisions, the device we all knew simply as the "PalmPilot" is now essentially nameless. In fact, PalmPower editor-in-chief David Gewirtz wrote an editorial about that in the March issue of PalmPower, entitled Palmistry and Numerology: understanding branding. It’s available at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199903/editorial0399001.html.
3Com, the makers of the device, asks that we refer to it as the "Palm Connected Organizer." That title is way too long, and many users just call it the "Palm." But as you’ll see, that’s even worse! The device "formerly known as PalmPilot" needs your help. That’s why you should join Responsive Software’s Crusade to find it a new name!
.H1 The sad history
The original Pilot was released in 1996, followed a year later by the PalmPilot. "PalmPilot" was a great name: easy to say, not too long, nice techie sound. Best of all, when you said something like "I really love my PalmPilot," everyone knew what you meant.
It was around this time that a stuffy lawyer from the Pilot Pen Corporation tapped 3Com on the shoulder, and said, "Pardon us, so sorry to bother you, but we own the trademark on the word ‘Pilot,’ and you’ll have to call your product something else."
Now, normally, in trademark law, two products may have the same name if they are used in two very different, non-competing markets. For example, you wouldn’t be allowed to sell a car or a motorcycle called "The Mustang," but if you wanted to market a garden hose with that name, you’d be OK.
"But Hey!" you might say, "Pilot Pen makes pens, and the PalmPilot is a small computer. What’s the problem?" Well, unfortunately for 3Com, the PalmPilot is a computer on which you write with a pen-like stylus, and (here’s the clincher), the Pilot Pen Corporation makes styluses as well as pens. As a result, a judge decided that customers might confuse the two brands, and on April 3, 1998, said to 3Com, "I realize that this is a major bummer for you folks, but you’ve got to find a new name."
.H1 The new names
So 3Com came up with a new name: the "Palm Connected Organizer." Now, I admit I’m guessing here, but this sounds to me like a committee decision. Only a committee could come up with an eight-syllable, 22-character name for such a small device. I’ll bet the 3Com Naming Committee spent a zillion dollars, started with some great suggestions, but finally ended up with something you can’t even say three times fast. Could it be that one executive even suggested that it needed a long title because "3Com" is so short?
In any case, "Palm Connected Organizer" is way too long to be used repeatedly (remember that the device is supposed to save time), and many writers and others refer to it simply as the "Palm." What’s wrong with that? Well, unfortunately, that name is also already taken — by a part of your body. In fact, focus groups found that eight out of ten marketing executives, when told to "Transfer the data to their Palm," would write on their hands with magic markers! To fully understand why "Palm" is confusing, consider the top ten sentences that you would never want to say when referring to your device:
10. Want to see my Palm?
9. Have you seen my Palm anywhere around?
8. I like to play with my Palm.
7. Write it on your Palm.
6. What we need is a Palm reader.
5. I wouldn’t mind being on a desert island if I had a Palm.
4. I like to sleep with my Palm.
3. I have three Palms.
2. I need to go home and put my Palm in its cradle.
1. I was going to the bathroom and my Palm dropped into the toilet.
See what I mean? By now, you should understand why you need to join my "Crusade to Rename the Device Formerly Known as PalmPilot."
.H1 Join the crusade!
In a charitable move to improve life on this planet, and a shameless attempt to drive traffic to our Web site, my company, Responsive Software, has launched a crusade to find a new, catchy name for that thing we’ve been talking about. Our mission is to find a name that’s just so darned perfect that everyone will use it.
You can join the crusade by suggesting new names at http://www.ResponsiveSoftware.com. The Web site proudly displays the many imaginative entries received so far. We’ve got two categories for entries: Serious and Somewhat Less Than Serious.
.H1 Serious entries
This first category is for people who think that a big company like 3Com will actually listen to little users like us. When you make your entry, remember that 3Com is unlikely to consider any name that doesn’t include "Palm" somewhere in the title. Table A shows just a few of the great ideas we’ve received so far:
.BEGIN_TAB_TABLE A Serious name suggestions for the Device Formerly Known as PalmPilot
.TAB_TABLE_HEADER Name Contributed by
.TAB_TABLE_ROW PalmOrg Karen
.TAB_TABLE_ROW PenPalm Charlie
.TAB_TABLE_ROW Palmpod, for Palm Personal Organizational Device George
.TAB_TABLE_ROW PalmPAL Francis
.TAB_TABLE_ROW PalmCO — short for Palm Connected Organizer Francis
.TAB_TABLE_ROW DynaPalm Michael
.TAB_TABLE_ROW ePalm Marcus
.TAB_TABLE_ROW 3Palm Alan
.TAB_TABLE_ROW CyberPalm Simon
.TAB_TABLE_ROW DigiPalm Simon
.TAB_TABLE_ROW PalmPADD Richard
.END_TAB_TABLE
The last entry, PalmPADD, is particularly popular and many users have suggested phrases that the P.A.D.D. might stand for. Table B shows some examples.
.BEGIN_TAB_TABLE B Meanings for P.A.D.D.
.TAB_TABLE_HEADER Name Contributed by
.TAB_TABLE_ROW Personal All Data Device Hans
.TAB_TABLE_ROW Palm Personal Address & Data Dictionary Paul and Friends
.TAB_TABLE_ROW Pocket Accessable Data Device Andrew
.TAB_TABLE_ROW Personal Access Data Device Ron
.END_TAB_TABLE
.H1 Somewhat less than serious entries
The second category is for users who have not let marketing concerns limit their imaginations. Table C shows some samples:
.BEGIN_TAB_TABLE C Somewhat less than serious name suggestions for the Device Formerly Known as PalmPilot
.TAB_TABLE_HEADER Name Contributed by
.TAB_TABLE_ROW I Can’t Believe It’s Not Pilot Andrew
.TAB_TABLE_ROW Hand Job anonymous (many, many anonymous)
.TAB_TABLE_ROW PalmFile-It Rudy
.TAB_TABLE_ROW Arnold Palmer anonymous
.TAB_TABLE_ROW Tricorder David
.TAB_TABLE_ROW Feechurs Grafeety Jason
.TAB_TABLE_ROW Pie Lot Donnie
.TAB_TABLE_ROW Alm-Pay Ilot-Pay Jeffrey
.TAB_TABLE_ROW Pbrain James
.TAB_TABLE_ROW P2K Dave
.END_TAB_TABLE
Great new entries are coming in every day. Be sure to visit our Web site to see the many other suggestions!
.H1 The end result
And what will we do when we come up with the perfect name? Beats me, maybe we’ll make little name stickers for users to put on their you-know-what.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
Visit another article on the naming of Palm devices, Palmistry and Numerology: understanding branding, in the March 1999 issue of PalmPower Magazine at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199903/editorial0399001.html.
Join the crusade to rename the Device Formerly Known as Palm by emailing your naming suggestion to NewName@ResponsiveSoftware.com, or visit the suggestions other folks made at http://www.ResponsiveSoftware.com.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO Alan Macy is CEO of Responsive Software at http://www.ResponsiveSoftware.com, a small California company specializing in time and billing applications for consultants and attorneys.
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?13@@.ee6d6c2
