This week, we’re sitting here listening to mp3s through the tiny and tinny speakers of 12” Powerbook, while staring at our recently connected stereo. The one with the 100 watt receiver and incredible B&W bookshelf speakers.

So, why aren’t we listening, really listening to music? Because the tunes we want to listen to are on the laptop and not on CD. So, if this week’s commentary is a little harsh, please go easy on us. You know as well as we do, that it’s easy to be critical and challenging to be creative consistently. It is also challenging to come up with a medical device name that is going to stand head and shoulders above the competition.

That said, let’s see how our device companies did this week.

BrainLAB AG’s Novalis’’ dedicated system for non-invasive stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy (SRS/SRT), represents cutting-edge technology for highly precise treatments of brain as well as head and neck tumors, arteriovenous malformations and certain functional disorders. BrainLAB is a great corporate name, though it sounds suspiciously dot-com or video game to us. That said, Novalis sounds too close to Novartis‘, which is a little surprising given that this company is based in M¨unchen and Novartis is just a few miles away in Zürich.

G.I. VIEW Ltd.’s miniaturized, self-propelling, self-navigating and disposable colonoscopic camera. One part of the device is called the Aer-O-Scope. It’s easy to criticize company names after the fact, but here is another case of a company that will be held back by its name should it develop products that are NOT for the gastrointestinal tract. “Aer-O-Scope” does not sound like the type of instrument you would want snaking up your innards. That said, could one of the doctors reading this please let me know what the advantage of this device is over the devices you swallow?

Kinetic Muscles Inc. Hand Mentor stroke rehabilitation system. We’ve said it before descriptive names will hold you back and here are two.

FlowMedica’s BenePhit Delta catheter system for targeted drug delivery to the renal arteries. The advantage here is it spares the rest of the vasculature from potential adverse drug effects. Too bad they’re not going to spare us from a bad pun name. BenePhit – get it?

Resonance Health’s FerriScan™ a novel, non-invasive diagnostic test of the iron content of a patient’s liver to assist clinicians in the detection and treatment of iron overload disorders. Resonance Health is a very good company name. It definitely stands out from competitors. FerriScan, however, is another descriptive name.

Ventracor’s VentrAssist LVAS. Try saying that one three times fast.

Baby Gender Mentor. There is something disturbing about the idea of pairing Baby Gender with Mentor. While the idea of knowing your child’s gender is appealing, a mentor, or someone more experience to provide advice and support, isn’t necessarily what an expectant mother needs. In addition, Mentor Corp is a very well-regarded medical device company that among other items, manufactures condoms.

Penelope Surgical Instrument Server. This device is probably going to be a welcome addition to operating rooms the world over. We like that the manufacturer’s personalized the name. Big question: How many nurses named Penelope will lose their jobs to this robot?

Mannkind Corporation’s Technosphere® inhaled insulin product. Technosphere, the name of several information technology corporations, refers here to the formulation used for the inhalable insulin powder. We’re huge funs of inhalable insulin But we’re not sure we would want to snort inhale something called a technosphere.

So… You be the judge. Did any of this week’s product hit a homerun in the branding department? Great technologies as always.