Google Android phones about to take off worldwide?
By Jon Fernquest
Google's
Android phones are off to a
slow start
in Thailand.At the Fortune Town computing mall at Rama 9 subway station shoppers can only find two smart phones with the Android operating system: the HTC Magic and the more expensive HTC Hero.
This situation may change soon.
Many new models were on display at an important mobile phone trade show in the US this last week.
Today's article takes a closer look.
Microsoft's new mobile phone operating system is also to be released soon (Read article).
Android, the so-called Google Phone operating system was released back in December, 2007 (Read article).
Android mobile OS -
Google's platform for mobile phone software development based on Linux
and providing data storage, text messaging, a web browser, and
video-audio-image support, as well as several other features (See Wikipedia
on Android)
Operating System (OS) - on a computer the software system that connects computer programs and software to the hardware (See Wikipedia)
mobile phone operating system - an operating system for a mobile phone like Android above (See Wikipedia)
HTC Magic - less expensive (See photo on right and Wikipedia)
HTC Hero - more expensive (See Wikipedia)
off to a slow start - not sellling a lot at the beginning, not popular
trade show, trade fair - a large public exhibition where companies in an industry show, promote, and try to sell their products (See Wikipedia)
released - made available to the public
Operating System (OS) - on a computer the software system that connects computer programs and software to the hardware (See Wikipedia)
mobile phone operating system - an operating system for a mobile phone like Android above (See Wikipedia)
HTC Magic - less expensive (See photo on right and Wikipedia)
HTC Hero - more expensive (See Wikipedia)
off to a slow start - not sellling a lot at the beginning, not popular
trade show, trade fair - a large public exhibition where companies in an industry show, promote, and try to sell their products (See Wikipedia)
released - made available to the public
CTIA showcases Android mobile OS
Mirasol, wireless healthcare on the way14/10/2009
By Borisuthiboun Dasaneyavaja
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA : Android, a mobile operating system from Google, finally hit the mobile consumer market at the CTIA Fall 2009 trade show in San Diego last week.
CTIA Fall 2009 trade show
- a large trade show in the US devoted to mobile phones
CTIA (the Wireless Association) - the organisation putting on the trade show above (See Wikipedia)
wireless - communicating by radio waves (mobile phone, WiFi, radio)
X showcases Y - shows the advantages and benefits of
CTIA (the Wireless Association) - the organisation putting on the trade show above (See Wikipedia)
wireless - communicating by radio waves (mobile phone, WiFi, radio)
X showcases Y - shows the advantages and benefits of
CTIA, an international wireless IT & Entertainment trade show, has become a venue for major mobile phone suppliers to display their Android-based mobile phones, citing another big success for Google after the company introduced its Android mobile platform for nearly two year. Samsung, Motorola, LG and HTC came to the show with multiple Google Android devices while Ericsson and Nokia are expecting to join the bandwagon soon.
a venue - the place
where an event happens
citing - claiming
join the bandwagon - start doing what everyone else is doing
citing - claiming
join the bandwagon - start doing what everyone else is doing
Device makers see Android as their biggest hope to compete against Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion's BlackBerry devices in the smart phone market. Both Apple and RIM run on their own proprietary operating systems.
RIM (Research in Motion) -
name of the company that produces the Blackberry (See Wikipedia)
proprietary - owned by a company
proprietary operating systems - operating system software that is owned by a company (for example, Microsoft Windows)
proprietary software - software owned by a company
open source software - software not owned by a company
proprietary - owned by a company
proprietary operating systems - operating system software that is owned by a company (for example, Microsoft Windows)
proprietary software - software owned by a company
open source software - software not owned by a company
In addition to those big names, Kyocera will also launch a Google Android phone next year.
Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform also announced Windows Mobile 6.5 and its app stores at CTIA last week. The announcement also included an improved Internet Explorer Mobile, My Phone backup service, and Windows Marketplace for Mobile.
Windows Mobile - Microsoft's
smart phone operating system (See Wikipedia)
Windows Mobile 6.5 - the release of Windows Mobile operating system due before end of year (See Wikipedia)
a backup - storing an extra copy of your data for safety purposes, in case the original disappears (See Wikipedia)
Windows Mobile 6.5 - the release of Windows Mobile operating system due before end of year (See Wikipedia)
a backup - storing an extra copy of your data for safety purposes, in case the original disappears (See Wikipedia)
Mirasol displays in the pipeline
Inspired by mirasol nature in using the ambient light in the environment to generate, Qualcomm MEMS Technologies has shown the mirasol display which uses near-zero battery power to maintain a static image and needs no backlighting at CTIA Fall 2009.Mirasol displays -
a new display technology by Qualcomm that uses less power and easier to
read outside (See Qualcomm
explanation and Wikipedia )
in the pipeline - people are working on it, not finished yet
ambient - all around you
ambient light - light that is all around you
ambient sound - sounds that is all around you
dynamic - moving
static - not moving
static image - a photo or picture that is not moving (not a video or animation)
backlighting - illumination used to increase readability in low light conditions in liquid crystal displays (LCDs) (See Wikipedia)
illumination - lighting
LCD screens, LCD displays - (See Wikipedia)
in the pipeline - people are working on it, not finished yet
ambient - all around you
ambient light - light that is all around you
ambient sound - sounds that is all around you
dynamic - moving
static - not moving
static image - a photo or picture that is not moving (not a video or animation)
backlighting - illumination used to increase readability in low light conditions in liquid crystal displays (LCDs) (See Wikipedia)
illumination - lighting
LCD screens, LCD displays - (See Wikipedia)
A Qualcomm official at the booth explained that the mirasol nature is in direct contrast to films, polarizers and many layers of materials used in standard display technologies on the market today. This allows consumers to use their mobile devices longer while using less power,
The new technology will best answer one of the most pressing questions of mobile phone users: how long will the battery last?
in direct contrast to -
different from
films - a very thin sheet of plastic used to cover things
polarizers - a material added to glass that cuts down on reflections and makes it possible to see through the glass (See Wikipedia)
display technologies - the technologies used to make computer and mobile phone screens
pressing questions - questions that must be answered quickly, urgent questions
films - a very thin sheet of plastic used to cover things
polarizers - a material added to glass that cuts down on reflections and makes it possible to see through the glass (See Wikipedia)
display technologies - the technologies used to make computer and mobile phone screens
pressing questions - questions that must be answered quickly, urgent questions
As mobile phones now act more like a personal entertainment device and can be used as GPS devices, TVs, Internet access points, MP3 players, PDAs, cameras, camcorders, photo albums and email centres, their batteries drain very fast.
In addition to increased battery life the new technology also solves the problem of LCD screens - the difficulty to viewing in outdoor conditions.
GPS
- a Global Positioning System, small device that allows you determine
your position on a map, mobile phones often have this device nowadays
(See Wikipedia)
Internet access points - a device or place where you can get connected to and use the internet
battery, mobile phone battery - source of energy for mobile phone operation (See Wikipedia)
charge battery, recharge battery - add energy to battery
batteries drain very fast - batteries lose energy (so must be recharged)
Internet access points - a device or place where you can get connected to and use the internet
battery, mobile phone battery - source of energy for mobile phone operation (See Wikipedia)
charge battery, recharge battery - add energy to battery
batteries drain very fast - batteries lose energy (so must be recharged)
"LCD screens wash out and are difficult to see or read under direct sunlight, no matter how strong the backlight is. Since mirasol displays use reflective mirrored surfaces, they're easier to see in outdoor conditions because they reflect light out," the official said.
LCD screens wash out -
reflections on screen make impossible to read from screen
reflect, reflect light out - light hits surface, turns, and then enters eyes
reflective mirrored surfaces - a surface like a mirror (you can see yourself, reflects light)
reflect, reflect light out - light hits surface, turns, and then enters eyes
reflective mirrored surfaces - a surface like a mirror (you can see yourself, reflects light)
"Imagine a butterfly. The wings of a butterfly are coated with scales. The scales have a small space between them. When the light around the butterfly enters that cavity, it is reflected back out and what we see are colour and light. We've copied that with electronics," he added.
Asked whether the technology could be used as supplementary to any existing display technology, he added that mirasol displays used a very similar toolset in the manufacturing process.
The mirasol display would be priced at the same level as LCD displays, he added.
coat X with Y - cover
X with thin layer of substance Y
scales - small hard pieces (covering body of animal)
coated with scales - covered with a thin layer of small hard pieces
a cavity - a hole
supplementary - additional
toolset - a set of tools
scales - small hard pieces (covering body of animal)
coated with scales - covered with a thin layer of small hard pieces
a cavity - a hole
supplementary - additional
toolset - a set of tools
Wireless healthcare
The latest innovations in wireless health products and applications were on display at last week's show and the technologies have moved beyond science fiction to become a pervasive influence changing the face of healthcare.science fiction - a
fantasy story inspired by science (See Wikipedia)
pervasive - felt over a wide area (all throughout a place or area)
influence - affect what people do or think
pervasive influence - affect what many people do or think
changing the face of healthcare - creating big changes in healthcare
pervasive - felt over a wide area (all throughout a place or area)
influence - affect what people do or think
pervasive influence - affect what many people do or think
changing the face of healthcare - creating big changes in healthcare
The applications ranged from wellness and fitness apps to medical technologies like diagnostic tools and remote monitoring. Among the mobile innovations improving the quality of life are mobile phone software that reminds patients when and how to take their medications; an iPhone application for monitoring patients' vital signs; ingestible medical technologies; and a host of other innovative medical advancements.
app, application
- a computer program that gives users tools to complete a
task (See Wikipedia)
wellness and fitness apps - computer programs that help people improve their health (and get in shape through exercise)
diagnostic tools - tools that help a doctor discover what disease or health problem you are suffering from
remote - far away
remote monitoring of Y - checking and watching Y when you are far away from Y
quality of life - a measure of the well-being of a country or person that tries to go beyond mere money and income (See Wikipedia)
medications - medicine
vital signs - measures of what is happening in the body used by doctors to evaluate a person's health and discover disease: body temperature, pulse rate (or heart rate), blood pressure, and respiratory rate (See Wikipedia)
monitoring patients' vital signs - checking and following vital signs over a long period of time to see if there are problems
ingestible - can be eaten
a host of Y - many Y
wellness and fitness apps - computer programs that help people improve their health (and get in shape through exercise)
diagnostic tools - tools that help a doctor discover what disease or health problem you are suffering from
remote - far away
remote monitoring of Y - checking and watching Y when you are far away from Y
quality of life - a measure of the well-being of a country or person that tries to go beyond mere money and income (See Wikipedia)
medications - medicine
vital signs - measures of what is happening in the body used by doctors to evaluate a person's health and discover disease: body temperature, pulse rate (or heart rate), blood pressure, and respiratory rate (See Wikipedia)
monitoring patients' vital signs - checking and following vital signs over a long period of time to see if there are problems
ingestible - can be eaten
a host of Y - many Y
(Source: CTIA showcases Android mobile OS, Mirasol, wireless healthcare on the way, 14/10/2009, Borisuthiboun Dasaneyavaja, link)
