Episode 0189

Hello everyone and welcome to English Pod. My name is Marco.

My name is Catherine and today we have an intermediate level lesson all about cell phones.

That's right. We're going to be buying a cell phone or also known as a mobile phone. So before we jump into the dialogue, let's take a look at a specific type of phone on vocabulary preview.

Well, the name of this phone is kind of funny. It's called a smartphone. It's very popular these days. things like the Apple iPhone or the HTC Hero. These are examples of a smartphone.

That's right. So basically a smartphone has additional functions, more than just a normal mobile phone. For example, you can check your email on a smartphone.

Yeah, so the thing that makes a smartphone different from a normal mobile phone is that it's like a small computer. You can do things like Marco said, send emails or take photos, edit photos, use applications, things like that from your phone.

Okay. So we're going to be talking about smartphones. So let's listen to the dialogue for the first time.

Hello, sir. May I help you?

Yeah. I accidentally dropped my phone in the toilet.

I see. Well, you've come to the right place. We have over 100 models of more than 20 leading mobile phone manufacturers.

Sounds good. I don't want it to be too expensive. Maybe something mid-range.

We have this new HTC smartphone. It comes with the Android OS, so you can download applications. It also has a built-in camera, MP3 player, and touchscreen. It works on the 3G network, so you have fast access to the internet wherever you are.

What about Wi-Fi?

Of course. You can access the internet from any hotspot, as well as from home.

One last thing. Is it waterproof?

All right, we're back. Now, have you ever done this? Have you ever dropped your phone in the water? Have you ever damaged the phone like that?

Luckily, no, knock on wood, but I have a good friend who dropped his in the toilet and had to buy a new one.

Yeah, so this is not made up. It's actually more common than what people think, but we'll get to that in a bit. Uh, why don't we take a look at five key words in language takeaway?

This first word is very important because in in this particular dialogue, we're talking about the HTC smartphone. Um, this is a special kind of phone, um, and it has a it has an Android operating system or OS. So Android is something that Google came up with. And, um, they have this operating system that they're giving away for free. If you want to use it, you can use it. You can make a whole new phone using this operating system. So the operating system, like Windows or what's the Mac one called? Tiger OS.

Tiger OS.

Tiger OS. Um, you have these op- Linux. Linux, yeah. Linux. These are, um, these are like the interface that allows you to use your computer and to interact with it. And so they're different for different kinds of computers, but the same is true of a smartphone.

Linux.

Exactly. So that's what we're looking at today. If you if you see this word Android, it's a proper noun and as Catherine mentioned, it's the name of the OS or operating system developed by Google. So we're taking a look at a smartphone that uses the Android OS. All right. Now, this phone not only carried this operating system, but also an MP3 player.

That's right. So an MP3 player, uh, is a device that plays songs for you. So songs can be stored as MP3s. Uh, a good example of an MP3 player is an iPod.

An iPod. Exactly. Or, and for many of you, you're listening to this podcast as an MP3 file through an MP3 player. So that's the name. We usually say MP3.

Exactly. And another feature of this special smartphone is that you can use it on the 3G network. What is a 3G network, Marco?

All right. So a 3G network is a third generation network, which allows more information to be sent. So not only can you send voice, like a normal cell phone network, but now you can send pictures or you can download information like, for example, your email. So this is a new 3G network. It allows you to send more information, more data.

Exactly. 3G, third generation. And in addition to this, uh, our customer wants to know about Wi-Fi. Okay. Wi-Fi, you hear this a lot when you go to a hotel or a restaurant. They say we have Wi-Fi access.

Right. And Wi-Fi stands for wireless fidelity. So it's basically internet that has no wires. You don't need to connect your computer to anything. You just log on and use the internet.

All right. So look out for that when you're in a cafe next time. Do they have Wi-Fi? Usually there's a sign on the wall.

And finally, this customer wants to know, is this great phone waterproof? What is waterproof?

All right. So if you have a watch, for example, and you can take this watch into a swimming pool or the ocean, it means it's waterproof. So it resists water. It won't get damaged if it gets wet.

Great. So I could say that I have a waterproof jacket. Right? So that means that when I go in the rain, my clothes don't get wet because they don't go inside the fabric.

Right. So and there are many things waterproof as watches or waterproof cameras. I've never really seen a waterproof mobile phone though. That's that's a good invention maybe.

That would be.

All right. So those are five key words for language takeaway. Why don't we listen to the dialogue again and we'll be back.

Hello, sir. May I help you?

Yeah. I accidentally dropped my phone in the toilet.

I see. Well, you've come to the right place. We have over 100 models of more than 20 leading mobile phone manufacturers.

Sounds good. I don't want it to be too expensive. Maybe something mid-range.

We have this new HTC smartphone. It comes with the Android OS, so you can download applications. It also has a built-in camera, MP3 player, and touchscreen. It works on the 3G network, so you have fast access to the internet wherever you are.

What about Wi-Fi?

Of course. You can access the internet from any hotspot, as well as from home.

One last thing. Is it waterproof?

All right, we're back. So now we have three phrases for you on fluency builder.

Okay, this first phrase is a way of expressing something. So we're going to give you a formula. The first word is leading. So leading mobile phone manufacturers. So when we use the word leading, we're saying that it's leading an industry, that means the most important manufacturers in a kind of industry.

Right. So it's one of the biggest, it's one of the best. And if we want to change the noun, we can say, for example, the leading car manufacturer.

Exactly. So in Japan, I wonder who the leading car manufacturer is. Is it Toyota, maybe? Toyota.

Toyota.

And uh, we could also say that about clothing. The leading clothing manufacturer in America is I have no idea. Cotton, maybe?

Cotton. Right.

So you can use many other nouns and well, if you want to drop the manufacturers, you can say the leading brand in cosmetics or the leading supplier of medical equipment.

So this means the person or the company with the most that's the most important in an industry.

Right. And going back to one of the features of the mobile phone, we talked about the built-in camera. Now this structure is interesting, built-in.

Well, we can say that things are built-in when they are a part of something else. For example, a built-in camera is a part of a phone. It's not a camera and a phone, two different devices. They're put together. We can also say this about cabinets. Um, you know, you can you can buy cabinets and you can put them in your house and keep things in them. But we often have built-ins. That means that they're stuck on the wall. You can't take them away. So those are called built-ins because they're part of the wall. So a built-in camera is a part of the phone.

Right. So you can pretty much use this structure with two products that are combined as one. For example, the cabinets that Catherine mentioned, or if your refrigerator has a television incorporated, right? You can say this refrigerator comes with a built-in television.

Or very common is the the laptop with built-in speakers. So that means we don't have to bring speakers with us every time we want to use the laptop. There's small speakers in inside the computer.

So this is often said when someone's leaving a conversation. So I'm I'm going to say, okay, Marco, I've got to go run and do something. I'll see you later.

Wait, what? Oh, okay. So now I wait. So one last thing is a way to say, hey, no, wait, hold on. I have to tell you one more thing.

Something else. Mhm. So yeah, as you can see, you can use it as a fixed phrase. One last thing or before I go, one last thing. Can you take out the dog?

One last thing we have to talk about.

Right. And this was our last word. So why don't we listen to our dialogue for the last time.

Hello, sir. May I help you?

Yeah. I accidentally dropped my phone in the toilet.

I see. Well, you've come to the right place. We have over 100 models of more than 20 leading mobile phone manufacturers.

Sounds good. I don't want it to be too expensive. Maybe something mid-range.

We have this new HTC smartphone. It comes with the Android OS, so you can download applications. It also has a built-in camera, MP3 player, and touchscreen. It works on the 3G network, so you have fast access to the internet wherever you are.

What about Wi-Fi?

Of course. You can access the internet from any hotspot, as well as from home.

One last thing. Is it waterproof?

All right, we're back. And I actually read somewhere that many girls have this accident because they place their mobile phones in their back pockets. So when they go to the bathroom, they accidentally the the phone accidentally drops out and falls into the toilet.

I've also heard this that you're maybe checking your messages or checking your email when you're in the bathroom and it falls. Just falls.

Yeah, so I think boys and girls all have this problem. Be careful with your phones though. Smartphones are still pretty expensive.

Yes, they are.

All right, so if you have any questions, any doubts, you can contact us at englishpod.com and we'll see everyone there. Bye everyone.

Bye everyone.

The English pod audio review.

Listen to the meaning, then say the vocabulary word.

By accident.

Accidentally.

Advanced, fashionable.

Lead.

Software program.

Application.

A telecommunication system.

Network.

Place with internet connectivity.

Hotspot.

A phone with wireless internet capacity.

Smartphone.

Management system.

Android OS.

Let's try that faster.

Place with internet connectivity.

Hotspot.

By accident.

Accidentally.

Management system.

Android OS.

A phone with wireless internet capacity.

Smartphone.

Advanced, fashionable.

Lead.

A telecommunication system.

Network.

Software program.

Application.

Now say the word and hear it in a sentence.

Accidentally.

I accidentally scratched his car with my bike.

Accidentally.

They accidentally left the lights on while they were on vacation.

Accidentally.

How can a person accidentally burn their house down?

Application.

With this application, you can see which restaurants are nearby your current location.

Application.

I've downloaded many free applications, but I can never justify buying pay applications.

Application.

He designs iPhone applications for a technology company.

Network.

All of the computers in this office are connected by a network.

Network.

Our brains are a system of nerves and connections that control all of our body's processes.

Network.

The wireless network is down. Can you pass me the cable so I can connect to the internet?

Hotspot.

He is always checking his emails. He only goes to restaurants with wireless hotspots.

Hotspot.

This cafe is perfect. All you can drink coffee and a wireless hotspot.

Hotspot.

I have to find a wireless hotspot in this airport, so I can send out an email right away.

Smartphone.

Apple's iPhone revolutionized the smartphone industry.

Smartphone.

I'd really like to buy a smartphone, but they're almost as expensive as a laptop computer.

Smartphone.

Buying a smartphone has made my life much more convenient. I don't have to bring my computer with me everywhere now.