What's in a Name? 2

Say it aloud: PocketCake. Notice how it sounds: the disyllabic first word, the monosyllabic second word; the double k and the hard c; a soft o followed by a hard a. PocketCake Project Manager Jim Bassett says he's always been fascinated by phonetics, the way words sound. "I wanted a name for the company that was nice on the ear and easy to understand," Bassett says.

For some, pocket cake is the stale, lent-pocked leftovers from that extra slice of granny's cake you had to pocket, or else disobey her orders about "no second helping." Bassett doesn't disagree that cake is an addictive dessert -- I know that if you set a cake before this author, he'd resemble the kid from Matilda who chokes down a whole double-decker chocolate in mere minutes. Cake is also something you might indulge in after a long day's work. Studies show that people are most glum in the last hour of the workday. Their afterwork tonic? Sugar and a session of pocket-sized entertainment.

PocketCake isn't the only mobile app developer with a unique name. Here are a few others.

Atomic Object (Grand Rapids, Michigan)

The company refers to its employees as "atoms," beckoning "are you interested in joining our molecule?" Its two-fold mantra: "great not big" and "we give an atomic dump."

Bearded Hen (United Kingdom)

About 10 percent of wild hens have beards, a cluster of long, hairlike feathers beginning at the center of a bird's chest. In America, nothing sizes up a hunt -- and one's manlihood -- more than the length of a turkey's beard. Bearded Hen's motto: "If hens can have beards, then apps can astonish, too."

Eye Phone Group (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

The company, infamous for its Safety Protection Information System allowing for parents to track their teens' driving habits, is now called Appmosphere. Guess it decided the name wasn't ideal given the app developer's primary platform: Android.

Lounge Lizard (New York City, New York)

Lounge lizards can refer to many types of folk: barflies, nightclubbers, low-life lounge musicians and smarmy men who masquerade fine attire at elitist parties, seeking to seduce a wealthy woman into marriage. What do all of these people have in common? If the party is dying, or nobody pays them any attention, they'll need a fall back: their smartphones.

JacApps (Southfield, Michigan)

Why would you want a wimpy, can't-do-a-pushup-on-its-knees sort of app, when you can have one that's jacked?