Daily English 647 Using A Smartphone: Glossary
Daily English 647 Using A Smartphone: Glossary
Daily English 647 Using A Smartphone: Glossary
Jason: This is my new smartphone. It has every feature under the sun!
Jason: It has a high quality camera and video camera, and it’s a videophone. It has a great GPS
program, too. The touch-screen and the keyboard are easy to use and everything is so intuitive.
Even a child could use it.
Hitomi: Yeah, but a child couldn’t afford the expensive price tag, right?
Jason: True enough, but it has a removable SIM card and is Bluetooth compatible. I can even use
it as an e-book reader, and download apps for just about anything I want to do. No child’s toy
could do all of those things.
Jason: What?
Jason: A telephone call? You mean a regular phone call? Yes, I think so.
[end of dialogue]
Glossary
to unbox – to take something out of its box for the first time; to open a new product
* When you unbox the microwave, be sure to save the packaging so we can reuse it when we
move.
smartphone – a cell phone that can access email and other information on the Internet
* If we had a smartphone, we wouldn’t need to stop to ask for directions while driving.
every (something) under the sun – having many different types of something; having a lot of
something or all of something
* This kitchen has every upgrade under the sun: stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, an
eight-burner gas stove, and more!
feature – characteristic; something special that a product offers
* This printer has a lot of features, including high-speed printing, wireless connections, and a
built-in fax machine.
* They bring their video camera to all their kids’ sports games and dance recitals.
videophone – a telephone that has a small screen that allows the callers to see each other while
they are speaking
* Sharon uses a videophone when she calls her grandchildren so that she can see how much they
are growing and changing even though she lives far away.
GPS – global positioning system; technology that uses satellites to know exactly where a device
or person is at all times
* When they got lost in the woods, they were able to use the GPS on their cell phone to find the
way back home.
touch-screen – a flat panel on an electronic device that can sense where one touches it, allowing
the user to select things on the screen with one’s finger
* This is a touch-screen map, so if you want to zoom closer, just touch the part you’re interested
in with your finger.
keyboard – small keys marked with numbers, letters, and punctuation, used to enter information
into a computer or other electronic device
intuitive – easy to understand; making sense to a person so that one does not need to read the
instructions in order to use or do something
* Graphic computer programs that use icons are more intuitive than computer programs where
the user has to type commands in a programming language.
* We dreamed of buying a new home until we started looking at the price tags and realized we
didn’t have enough savings.
true enough – a phrase used to show that one agrees with what another person has said
SIM card – a subscriber identity module card; a small card that contains electronic information
used for a telephone
* If you store all your friends’ phone numbers on a SIM card, you can just use that same SIM
card when you get a new phone, and you won’t have to enter all the numbers again.
Bluetooth compatible – able to work with the technology that allows devices to communicate
with each other without wires, especially when referring to cell phones, headsets, and car radios
* This car is Bluetooth compatible, so when your cell phone rings, a voice on your car’s radio
will announce who is calling you.
e-book reader – a small, portable electronic device that can download the text of books or
newspapers from the Internet and display it on a screen
* This e-book reader is great, because it’s easier to carry than a big, heavy novel, but sometimes
I miss the feeling of holding an actual book in my hands.
app – application; a program that can be installed on a smartphone or other electronic device to
make it do something else
* Our bank offers an app that lets customers check their account balance and pay bills on a
smartphone.
I have been trying to get a meeting with the CEO of Medofact to talk about a partnership
between our company and theirs. But I've had a hard time trying to get through on the phone.
First, there was the phone tree. I had to go through three menus before I got the option to speak
to an operator. Even after I got through, I got the run around from the receptionist.
Thomas: Good afternoon. I am Thomas Guarini calling from Livatect. I would like to set up a
meeting with Ms. Kennedy.
Secretary: Mr. Guarini, I'm afraid Ms. Kennedy is traveling on business the next two weeks.
Would you like to call back?
Thomas: Sure, I'll check back in a couple of weeks. Thanks for your help.
[end of story]
Glossary
* The CEO made the company successful and increased the amount of money it earned each
year.
* The school formed a partnership with a book publisher to provide cheap textbooks to the
students.
to get through – to reach the place one wants to reach; to be able to talk to someone one wants
to talk to
* After calling the doctor four times, the patient finally got through and was able to talk to him.
phone tree – a series of phone connections that a caller (someone talking on the telephone) must
go through to reach the person he or she wants to talk to
* Raquel followed the phone tree for 10 minutes before she was able to talk to someone who
worked for the company.
menu – a list of choices; a list of things that one may select or choose
* The menu listed many types of food that customers could choose to order.
option – a choice; one thing out of many things that someone can choose or select
* Samuel had the option of going to the party, but he chose to stay home.
operator – someone who talks to a caller (a person calling on the telephone) and guides the
caller to the person the caller wants to talk to
* The operator connected Arielle with a customer service agent, who was able to answer her
questions.
the run around – a group of directions, events, or statements that lead someone away from a
goal or object they want to reach
* When Shane asked to talk to the store’s manager, the workers gave him the run around instead
of getting the manager.
How may I direct your call? – Who do you want to talk to?; a question that someone asks to
learn who the caller wants to talk to or what the caller wants to talk about
* When the man on the phone asked Roxanne, “How may I direct your call?” she told him that
she wanted to speak with someone who could talk to her about the company’s product.
please hold – please wait on the telephone; a statement one makes to politely ask someone on
the telephone to wait
* The receptionist needed to get the doctor, so she said to the patient on the phone, “Please
hold.”
to connect (someone) with – to help someone talk with someone else on the telephone; to make
the phone link necessary for someone to talk with the person they are trying reach
* The woman on the telephone was very helpful and connected Brian with the right person very
quickly.
to call back – to make another telephone call to the same person at a later time or day
* Matthias was too busy to talk to her on Monday, so Natalie called back on Tuesday.
to check back – to try again; to ask or call at a later time to see if someone or something will be
available at that time
* Penelope was not at home, so her sister decided to check back later in the day.
Augie: Today’s the day. I’m giving you the heads up. Our company is rolling out its new line of
cell phones.
Lillian: I can see you’re excited about it. What’s so special about the new products?
Augie: This line of phones has state-of-the-art technology and never-before-seen features. It’s
been in development for over a year and it’s been really hard keeping it under wraps.
Augie: Those were just rumors, and the company put a clamp on those pretty quickly.
Lillian: Wasn’t the new line supposed to come out next month?
Augie: That was the original plan, but since McQ Corp. is coming out with its own line of
phones soon, we wanted to get a jump on them.
Augie: Yes, and steal their thunder. We had to scramble to get the phones ready ahead of
schedule, but I think it was worth it. They’re really going to make a splash.
Lillian: I hope so. I hope all of this hype has been justified.
Lillian: How?
[end of dialogue]
Glossary
to give (someone) the heads up – to let someone know what will happen ahead of time; to give
someone information before most other people have it; to let someone know something early
* The CFO gave us the heads up that there might be pay cuts next quarter.
to roll out – for a company to introduce and begin selling a new product or service
state-of-the-art – very modern and advanced, using the newest and best technology
never-before-seen – new, never existing before; unlike anything else available now or in the
past
* This special anniversary DVD includes never-before-seen scenes that were edited out of the
movie.
* The new medication has been in development for years, but so far no pharmaceutical
companies have received approval to market it.
to keep (something) under wraps – to keep something a secret; to not share information about
something
* The politicians are trying to keep the story under wraps, but I doubt they can do it for very
long.
to leak – to share secret information with the media or with the public when one knows that one
is not supposed to do so
* The government will punish anyone who leaks national secrets to other countries.
rumor – something that may or may not be true, but that is said to many people and becomes
well-known
* We heard a rumor that you won’t be teaching here next year. Is that true?
to put a clamp on (something) – to stop something from happening, usually by using significant
force, strength, or power
* When does the company expect to come out with a new version of its software program?
to get a jump on (someone) – to do something before someone else can do it; to do something
faster or sooner than another person can do it
* Geremie got a jump on his classmates by taking courses during the summer break, and now
he’ll be able to graduate earlier than the rest of his class.
to steal (someone’s) thunder – to receive praise or approval that normally would have been for
someone else; to do something that takes attention away from what another person has done
* I can’t believe your sister stole your thunder by announcing that she was pregnant on the day of
your wedding. She should have waited, so that everyone’s attention could be on you that day!
to scramble – to do something very quickly; to use all of one’s available resources to get
something done sooner than one would normally be able to
* It will be difficult to finish the report by Thursday, but if we scramble, I think we can do it.
* If the company finishes building the bridge ahead of schedule, it will receive a bonus payment.
to make a splash – to do something that attracts a lot of attention and is noticed by many people
* The young designer really made a splash with his unusual clothing at the fashion show.
hype – buzz; things that are said about a product to make people more interested in it and want
to buy it, often before it is available
* Do you believe all the hype about how this fruit can help you lose weight?
justified – with a logical, acceptable reason or explanation; something that can be explained
rationally and made to seem fair or right
* The drunk man at the bar begged for Katherine’s phone number, but she wouldn’t give it to
him.
Greg: I needed a new cell phone, and my friend recommended the company he used. I went into
the store to take a look.
Woman: Okay, let me show you our most popular phone. This one has a lot of good features. It's
got a camera phone, a video recorder, instant messaging, and you can download music or ring
tones.
Woman: Oh, in that case, this is the one you want. Let me tell you a little about our plans. With
our $59.99 plan, you get 400 minutes, unlimited night and weekend minutes, and free mobile-to-
mobile.
Greg: Do the minutes roll over if I don't use them all in one month, and do I need to sign an
agreement?
Woman: We don't have rollover minutes, but if you think 400 isn't enough, we have higher plans
for 700, 1000, and unlimited minutes. The $59.99 plan requires a one-year agreement.
[end of story]
Glossary
Have you been helped? – another way of asking “can I help you?”
* I walked into a store and right away, a salesperson asked, “Have you been helped?”
* You would be paying less for your internet if you were with our company.
* One of the best features of vacationing in Mexico are the great beaches.
camera phone – a phone that can take and keep pictures like a camera
* She forgot her camera at home, but luckily, her friend had a camera phone with her.
* No one saw who broke the window, but the store has a video recorder running 24 hours a day,
so they should be able to find who did it.
instant messaging – an internet program that lets you talk to people by typing, sending, and
getting back messages at the same speed of speaking
* She didn’t call me, but she told me by instant messaging to meet her at six o’clock.
download – to get something from the internet and keep it in your computer or phone
ring tones – the sound or music your phone makes when you get a call
* Her new flip phone is so small that it can fit in her pocket.
* She has a test tomorrow? In that case, she can’t go to the movies tonight.
plan – the type of service that a company or business can offer for a set amount of money
* The two plans looked the same so I chose the least expensive one.
to roll over (verb)/rollover (adjective) – to take something from one to the other
* If I change banks, the money from my old account will roll over into the new account in
twenty-four hours.
* We have an agreement that if she gets an A in the class, I would take her to Disneyland.
Sandy: I’m looking for an MP3 player, but I don’t know a lot about them.
Sandy: I just want something small and portable that I can use to listen to music that I rip from
CDs. I also want to be able to download songs off the Internet.
Clerk: Most of the players you see here can do that. One thing you have to watch out for is that
some music websites are proprietary. That means that you can only listen using certain types of
players.
Clerk: Well, this one plays music in a lot of different file formats and is compatible with most of
the major music download sites, both proprietary and open-source. It comes with an FM tuner, a
built-in battery charger, and good quality headphones.
Clerk: It has 30 gigabytes of memory and can hold about 7,500 songs. You get about 15 hours of
music playback on one charge and it charges up in about four hours. It has a nice screen, too,
that’s backlit.
Sandy: It looks like what I’ve been looking for. I’ll take it.
[end of dialogue]
Glossary
* This is a very popular MP3 player, but there are many other players that are less expensive.
selection – the variety of things to choose from at a store; the different types of something that is
being sold
portable – small, not heavy, and easy to carry wherever one goes
* This notebook computer is very portable because it is small and weighs only two pounds.
* Thanks for lending me these CDs. I’ll return them to you as soon as I rip them onto my
computer.
to download – to copy music or other files from the Internet to one’s computer or another device
* Please download the form from our website and complete it before you come to the office for
your appointment.
to watch out for – to be careful about something; to be aware of something that might be a
problem
* Watch out for their dog. It’s not very friendly and sometimes bites people.
proprietary – belonging to a specific person or company; made, owned, and sold by a person or
company
* This file is proprietary and can only be opened in a program made by the same company.
file format – the way that information is stored electronically; a type of electronic file, such as
.doc, .xls, .txt, .mp3, .jpg
* I wasn’t able to open the file format that you sent me. Can you please resend it as a different
file?
compatible – able to be used with something else; with the same technology; able to be used
together
* Is Microsoft Office compatible with Apple computers?
open-source – free for anyone to use; software that is available for anyone to use or change
* Many software engineers like to work together to make open-source software better.
FM tuner – the part of a radio or other device that allows one to choose a radio station to listen
to
built-in battery charger – the part of a device that allows one to put electricity into an empty
battery without using another piece of equipment
* I wish my cell phone had a built-in battery charger because I don’t like traveling with the
separate charger.
headphones – a device worn over the head or around the neck with two small pieces to put in
one’s ears, so that one can listen to music or the radio without letting other people hear it
* I saw a news story that said listening to loud music through headphones may be bad for your
ears.
storage capacity – the amount of space that a device has to save or store files; the number and
size of files that a device can hold
charge time – the amount of time needed to put electricity into an empty battery so that it is full
again
playback – the act of playing something that has been recorded before; the act of listening to
music, a phone message, or anything else that has been recorded previously
* Carlie spent all afternoon listening to playbacks of her professor’s lectures to study for the test.
backlit – with light from behind; a screen that is illuminated from behind, so that it can be seen
in the dark without turning on another light
* This watch is backlit so you can see what time it is in the dark by pushing this button.