Was anyone else stumped by the name Pre when they first heard it? I thought it was pronounced “Priè or something like that. Then I found out that it is pronounced “Pre” as in “Pre-school” or “Precede.” Well if I didn’t over think that one.

The guys over at MobileMag got in contact with the company Palm hired for naming the Pre. The methodology is pretty interesting, and I must say they came out with a name for a product that will have everyone going “I can’t remember what my life was like Pre-Pre.” Ok, that was bad.

Just a tip, the plural for the Pre is “Pre Phones” just in case you were wondering.

For starters, the name is a short, single syllable, word that pairs very nicely with the Palm company name. And, of course, because it begins with a “P” it’s alliterative. Palm Pre just rolls off the tongue.

In addition, it makes use of an accented “e”, which is consistent with other products in the Palm portfolio, including the Treo (and the Foleo), which also makes use of an accented “e”. The accent is also a really nice device for distinguishing the name visually in the market.

The messaging communicated in the name is intentionally broad in order to avoid pigeonholing and the suggestion of a specific *type* of phone (e.g. text phone, music phone, camera phone, etc). General associations with setting a new PREcedent, and the implication of things to come were of course intentional. You get a bit of redefining what it means to be a smartphone. And maybe you get a little speed and efficiency from the name if you’re taken to Prix as in Grand Prix.

Lastly, and this is really important, the name doesn’t try to out “cool” all the other phones in the space. It’s not a “Dare” or a “Decoy” or a “Sway” or a “Juke” or a “Mirage” or whatever. Pre is more understated and allows the phone itself to take center stage. And right it should, it’s an amazing phone. You don’t buy this phone because it sounds cool – you buy this phone because it IS cool!

[Via MobileMag and Catchword Branding]