Hi, everyone!

I'm Georgiana, founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help YOU to speak English fluently and confidently.

Today you'll practice some pronunciation with the most popular technology brands on the market. I'll help you to pronounce these brands just like an American.

Later you'll practice your listening with an interesting point of view story.

Now let the fun begin!

Today I'll try something new. I'll be giving you some information about each brand, and you'll need to guess the name of the brand. Believe me; it'll be fun!

Let's get started!

1. Adobe Systems

Have you heard of PDF documents? The PDF is the most common digital document format. And can you guess what company created it?

____________________________ (Answer my question.)

It's Adobe Systems! Adobe also created Photoshop, which is the most popular image editing software.

2. Amazon.com

Imagine a website where you can purchase almost anything you want. Can you guess which website I am referring to?

__________________________ (Answer my question.)

Yes! Amazon.com! And it's my favorite place to buy!! Amazon is mostly known for its wide selection of books, although Amazon has expanded to sell electronics, music, furniture, etc.

3. Apple

Now I'm gonna ask you to guess what's the name of this American multinational founded in the seventies. I'll give you a first hint: One of the founders is called Steve Wozniak.

___________________ (Try to guess the name of the company.)

Still not sure? What if I tell you that the other founder was Steve Jobs?

__________________________ (Say the name of the company.)

Yes! The name of the company is Apple. Apple's most popular products are the iPhone, iPad, and iTunes. And millions of people enjoy other products like the iMac and the MacBook.

4. Canon or Nikon? So, you wanna get serious about photography. In fact, any expert will recommend one of these two photography brands. Let me give you a hint: Both brands are Japanese.

__________________________ (Try to guess the two brands.)

Yes! I was referring myself to Canon and Nikon.

Just keep in mind that both Canon and Nikon offer great quality, so, when choosing between camera brands, it's best to compare each camera individually.

5. eBay

What if you want to sell your second-hand items online? You could set up your own website, but it's much quicker and safer to use this popular website. Can you guess its name?

________________________ (Guess the name of the website.)

Yes, I was talking about eBay! eBay is the most popular online second-hand platform. In fact, I used to buy very often on eBay when Amazon.com was selling just books. People sell on eBay things on that they don't need any more from books to furniture.

6. Facebook

Now I'd like you to tell me the name of the most popular website that allows you to have thousands of friends (virtual friends, of course) literally. This one's easy. Can you guess?

_______________________ (Tell me the name of the website.)

Yes!! Facebook! As you already know, Facebook is a website where people can connect with their family and friends, and as I said earlier, it's a place where you can make new friends too. I often use Facebook to connect with my amazing students from the Speak English Now Community.

7. Google Are you looking for something? Then you need the best tool to find what you're looking for. I'll give you another hint: It's a website with a really strange name. What am I talking about?

___________________________ (Say the name of the website.) Yes!! Google!

Google is a multinational technology company. Their most popular invention is Google Search. Millions of people use this free tool to search for things on the Internet. Google is by far the most-used search engine on the World Wide Web.

8. HP

Now think about printers, and you'll guess the name of the

company. This is an easy one! So, which company am I referring

to?

___________________________ (Say the name of the website.)

Yes!! HP, which is one of the world's largest computer and electronics companies. HP is best known today for its line of LaserJet and DeskJet printers. The name HP comes from their founders, Bill Hewlett and David Packard. The HP founders were classmates at Stanford University.

9. IBM

Do you know what the largest computer company is in the world? I'll give you two hints: The company is also called The Big Blue, and the name of the company has only three letters.

___________________________ (Say the name of the company.)

Yes! I am talking about IBM! IBM is short for International Business Machines, and it's also known as The Big Blue.

IBM launched its first computer in 1953, and as I said before, IBM is the largest computer company in the world.

It's not clear why it's been nicknamed The Big Blue, but it could be due to its blue logo and because the employees used to wear white shirts with blue suits.

10. Microsoft Corporation (MS)

And can you guess what the most popular software company is in the world? I'll give you two hints: Most personal computers use this software, and the name of the company starts with the letter M.

_______________________ (Tell me the name of the company.)

Yes!! I'm talking about Microsoft!! I'm sure that many of you are currently using Microsoft's operating system (OS). It's the most popular software in the world, and almost everybody has used Microsoft's software at work or even at home.

11. Netflix

Now let's see if you can guess the name of this service. You get home, turn on the TV, and then you choose among hundreds of TV shows, movies, etc. and it's really affordable too.

________________________ (Tell me the name of the service.)

It's Netflix! Netflix is a streaming software that allows you to instantly watch films and series on different devices, including smart TVs, game consoles, smartphones, or tablets. Honestly, before using Netflix, I didn't watch TV. I started using it on my PC, and now I watch Netflix on a smart TV.

12. Nintendo

OK, let's continue! I'll give two words: game consoles. Do you need more hints? Video games. What's the first name that comes to your mind?

________________________ (Tell me the name of the brand.)

Yes! It's Nintendo! Nintendo is a Japanese Company widely known for its video game Super Mario. The video game became popular in the '80s, and it's still available on Nintendo DS and on PlayStation.

13. Nokia

You can easily guess the next brand if I tell you their slogan. And the slogan started with the name of the company…connecting people.

_________________________ (What's the name of the brand?)

Yes! It's Nokia! Nokia was the most popular phone company until 2008. I remember a time when everybody was proud to own a Nokia cell phone. The company launched its first mobile phone in 1992.

14. PayPal When you pay online, you need to use a reliable payment tool.

Try to guess the most popular one.

I'll give you a really good hint: the name of this payment tool starts with the word "pay."

___________________ (What's the name of the payment tool?)

Yes! I was referring myself to PayPal, of course.

PayPal is the preferred method of online payment. It allows secure online payment with your credit card or bank account.

And many people don't know this, but eBay actually bought PayPal in 2002. However, the two companies eventually split in 2015.

15. Samsung

If you want to buy a smartphone, you might wanna check out this company's smartphones. I'll give you a hint: the company is from South Korea.

_______________________ (What's the name of the company?)

Yes! Samsung. Right now, Samsung is popular for the Samsung Galaxy smartphones and has been the world's largest television manufacturer for the last 10 years. But Samsung has a full line of home appliances, including fridges, microwaves, washing machines, dishwashers, and more.

15. Sony

Let's continue with another multinational company. I'll give you a hint: this company came up with the first portable music player.

Can you guess its name?

______________________ (What's the name of the company?)

And the correct answer is Sony. Sony introduced the Walkman in the '80s. It was a portable cassette player that allowed people to listen to music outside their homes. Sony is also widely known for inventing the PlayStation console.

16. YouTube

And this will be the last brand for today. As you already know, the Internet gives you unlimited possibilities. One of them is to have your personal TV channel. You can watch anything you like whenever you like or even create your own content. I'm sure this is an easy one. Can you guess the name of the website?

________________________ (What's the name of the website?)

It's YouTube! YouTube is a video sharing service where you can watch, like, share, comment, and upload your own videos; like I just said, it's your personal TV! The interesting fact about YouTube is that it was founded by three former PayPal employees. They were having difficulties sharing some videos online.