Do you have a smartphone? I’d really like one but they are a bit too expensive for me! I’m interested in finding out about them, though and that’s why this article on the Reuters (U.S. Edition) website caught my attention.
There’s lots of interesting English vocabulary in the article, too. The first expression I spotted in was in the title:
Nokia maps out defense in smartphone battle
To ‘map out‘ is a nice piece of vocabulary meaning the same as ‘plan’. In this case, it’s a pun because the plan is about using their mapping technology to make their phones more appealing.
It’s also interesting to note the spelling of ‘defense‘. This is the American spelling. In the U.K, people would usually write ‘defence‘.
In the first paragraph, the author mentions ‘high-end‘ devices. This means expensive equipment which is in the most prestigious sector of the market.
The next piece of vocabulary I spotted was to ‘trump an offer‘. This is a great business English expression meaning that you provide an offer that’s better than those already existing in the market.
Later in the article, the expression ‘industry standard‘ is used. If something is ‘industry standard‘, it is the same throughout a particular industry. In this case, they mean that all smartphone manufacturers will start offering free navigational tools.
The last expression, ‘to set (something) apart from the crowd‘ means to make something different (usually better) than it’s competitors.
Today’s image is by Michal Zacharzewski.