What’s in a name? For a phone, there’s actually a lot. Especially with the sort of epic names that some phone manufacturers come up with for their devices. To some people, showing off the latest and greatest gadget doesn’t really mean much if it doesn’t have a cool name. We’ve seen all sorts of devices, from the Epic 4G, to the Vibrant, to the Fascinate. Colorful names; and some may even say very indicative of each device’s particular traits and features. More importantly, though, they’re all names for variants of the Galaxy S line-up that Samsung released in the United States. Now that the Galaxy S II is headed over this way, there should be no surprise that carriers are branding their respective device for its eventual release.

And that’s why yesterday’s bit of news regarding Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy S II variant isn’t too shocking. Considering we know that Samsung is poised to release the Galaxy S II in much the same way that they released the first member of the family, it would have been more shocking to hear that Verizon’s device would be named the Galaxy S II. No, it will get a nickname, and the fact that it’s a sequel to the Fascinate makes perfect sense.

But I don’t think that’s the route that Verizon should go. After all, if a device like the LG Prada K2 can be considered a flagship device, there’s definitely no reason that Verizon shouldn’t consider the Galaxy S II variant a flagship of their own. Even if it’s just a flagship to promote the latest version of Samsung’s proprietary user interface, TouchWiz UI, the Galaxy S II variant should get more love than just a position as a sequel.

Some people may be put off by the Fascinate II, as there may be some folks out there who see it as just an incremental step up from the previous version. Of course, the differences between the Fascinate and the Fascinate II are quite impressive, so as an older brother to the original Fascinate/Galaxy S, the Galaxy S II can stand proud.

That doesn’t change the fact that I believe Verizon should be promoting their variant of the Galaxy S II a bit differently. It should be its own device. Never mind that it’s the standard “step up” from the previous Galaxy S variant. Bring it to market, and preach its splendors as a stand-alone device, and not merely just a sequel. Besides, not everyone had a glorious experience with the Fascinate, so that word of mouth may prevent sales of the Fascinate II from being as huge as Samsung or Verizon wants, or expects.

And one last thing: make it a 4G-enabled device. Don’t preach the DROID title, but add 4G LTE connectivity. With that extra step, and with some major marketing boost to promote the handset as its own, non-sequel position, the Galaxy S II variant for Verizon could be a huge success for the wireless carrier, and Samsung.