Wired Top Gadgets of the year

Wired has tried and decided. Their machines and gadgets annual test has experimented with more than 300 devices and these are the winners:

MotorolaQ

The best of the best mobile telephones is the Motorola Q, a smartphone that besides working uses as center of entertainment. In the category of smartphones, follow the blackberry Pearl 8100 and the Samsung SPH-A900 as fashion telephone. If we want a mobile with camera, they recommend the Helium Hero, and if we prefer music, the LG Fusic.

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Secret Formulas

Secret Formulas 

3 months ago, the India Supreme Court command the Coca Cola and Pepsico companies to reveal the secret formulas (ingredients and chemical composition) of their products, due to the fact that an ONG demand the information to discard a supposed presence of pesticides.

Today I find, that both “secret” formulas (not more) are already published in Internet. The page SodaMuseum has discovered both, besides divulging a lot of information related to each of the drinks (history, evolution, etc).

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7 steps to a good company name

In 2003, the only other company that I was aware of that used a number to start off their company name was 37signals. I am sure there were more, but at that time on the web they were the only ones I could think of and therefore I didn’t see any issues with using a number for my company. If I were to start all over today I would think twice about using a number simply because there are so many sites and companies out there that employ this naming scheme.

So what are the criteria for coming up with a godo company name? Well the list is short and sweet, but that doesn’t make the process any easier. So many names have been taken up that now you are either starting to see some recycled goodies or names that come from words that don’t even exist.

In his book The Brand Gap, Marty Neumeier has come up with a wonderful list of seven characteristics that you should consider while coming up with your company name. Here they are along with my own thoughts.

1. Distinct. Is it unique and does it help you stand out from the crowded field that you are more than likely entering?
2. Short and sweet (aka brevity). Can people get it out without having to take a breath in between words? The longer the name, the more likely people will come up with an abbreviation that probably won’t make sense to the person they are talking to. Does anyone even care what IBM, GE, or GM even stand for anymore?
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