What’s In A Mobile Phone Name?

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (565)

Whilst we were sure that Nokia’s steam-powered Differential Engine was on the blink when it spewed forth classic numbers like the 7210 and 6650 for the second time, apparently there is an elaborate science as opposed to a tombola for naming new phones.

Thanks in large part to the awesome resource for research that Wikipedia is, the Gadget Blog has shone light on the algorithms that go into choosing a number. The conventions that Sony Ericsson and Nokia utilise to stratify their mobile phones are looked at in detail, showing the difference between minutiae like a W850a and a W850i.

How interesting the article gets after the jump depends on how far down the rabbit hole you are prepared to go…

For example, Nokia has the usual four digit code, where the first number denotes which series it resides in. So the 8000 prefix is reserved for the ‘premium’ series of mobile like the 8800 Sirocco and 8600 Luna, whilst a 1000 series handset is bestowed the wonderful moniker of ‘ultrabasic’. A perfect oxymoron to describe exactly what it is, yet still make it sound a bit good…

Then there are the fashion and ‘experimental’ 7000 series handsets, which the new funky Supernova phones like the 7310 conveniently fit into. So for Nokia each series is geared towards a target demographic, like the multimedia driven N-series and the insanely opulent Vertu offshoot. Armed with this information, the mystery of phone naming is much more transparent.

Sony Ericsson has a far more vanilla approach, much like a car manufacturer where naming is concerned. The typical setup is one of five or six characters, a letter prefix followed by three numbers and an occasional letter suffix. So the prefix letters are fairly apparent by now, ‘C‘ is for Cyber-shot like the C902, whilst ‘W‘ is for Walkman as in the W890 and X is reserved purely for awesome phones like the Xperia X1.

Without this descending into an episode of Sesame Street, the letters are followed by numbers. Essentially, the higher the first number, the better the handset.

The second number illustrates incremental developments, such as from the W800 to W850, whilst the third number is always either ‘0′ or ‘8′ (apart from the Z555i, messing up my system!). The 8 is for handsets missing certain features, or to distinguish identically specced phones which look different.

Finally, the letter at the end denotes region, with the popular ‘i’ meaning for the international market, whilst ‘a’ is for the Americas, and ‘c’ for China. Yes, the Chinese market is so huge that they get a letter all to themselves.

So now you can buy a phone equipped with all the knowledge to make an informed choice. Omio is always here to educate as well as entertain. Gawd bless you, Wikipedia.

Tags: 6650, 7210, 7310, 860 Luna, 8800 Sirocco, C902, Nokia, Sony Ericcson, Supernova, W800, W850i, W890, Xperia X1, Z555i