20090609 -- Smartphones

Smartphones

Can cell phones fulfill all your technology needs?
What would you call a device that retrieves e-mail, surfs the web, plays games and edits office documents? It must be a laptop or desktop computer, right? Wrong? Nowadays, cell phones fit that description as well. Phone manufacturers are constantly packing more power into their products, and with every leap forward, the cell phone seems to absorb the capability of another device. PDAs, music players and digital cameras have all had to make room for the do-it-all "smartphone." Now the lastest phones are invading the turf of the personal computer. Travelers armed with cutting-edge phones can accomplish basic computing task without dragging along their laptops.


Some phones run PowerPoint shows while others have an online store where users can download additional software. Of course, their small size means that cell phones can't always replace a full-size computer. Sometimes you need a real keyboard and screen or the power to do more advanced computing. It's also nice to have a computer for storing all of your invaluable data. Still, the gap between the cell phone and the personal computer grows smaller every year. This brings us to an interesting question: Do you think you'll ever use your cell phone as your sole computer?



retrieve v. 擷取/取回/收回
-> get
re-回來
eg: Our dog will retrieve a tennis ball when we throw it, but sometimes she won't give it back.
eg: You need to enter your code to retrieve classified files from the computer system.
eg: The dog retrieve the stick that his owner threw.

capability n. 能力/才華/功能
-> ability
capable adj. 可以的/有能力的
eg: This test is beyond the capbility of a 7-year-old. We have to make it easier.
eg: This homework is way beyond the capability of such young kids.
eg: He doesn't have the capability to be a manager now.

PDA [personal digital assistant] n.
eg: I don't use my PDA anymore because I have one built into my cell phone.

turf n. 地盤/勢力範圍
-> personal space
eg: Our football team successfully defended our home turf by winning the championship!
eg: Vivian considers the kitchen her personal turf.
eg: The gang members are fighting to protect their turf.

turf n. 草坪
eg: Daddy was busy cutting the turf all day Saturday.

invaluable adj. -> it has a lot of value 無價的 (= priceless)
unvaluable adj. -> have no value
eg: The job didin't pay much, but it provided invaluable experience.


pack more A into B
-> put more A into B

//== Chat room ==//

leap forward -> go forward -> jump forward 往前跳(在課文中指新的進步)
step forward

by leaps and bounds -> something happens quickly 突飛猛進/非常迅速
leap和bound當名詞時都有當跳躍的意思
eg: The company grows by leaps and bounds.
eg: The production increasd by leaps and bounds.

a leap of faith 憑著信心做的任何一件事情
-> believe something is true even though it can't be proven to be true
eg: take a leap of faith

leap in the dark 冒險的行動

//== Grammer on the go ==//

This brings us to an interesting question ...
-> use question as an a conclusion