RADIO SILENCE 無聲無息

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CXO
a passing hobby

initial cloud infrastructure

radio silence

文句

And why wouldn't a CXO wonder if Google's plan to challenge Amazon Web Services was a passing hobby?Almost a year ago, Google launched its initial cloud infrastructure efforts. The plan sounded pretty strong in May 2013. Then there was nothing, but radio silence.


解釋

CXO  指的是企業執行、決策層級的人物。現在常被稱為 "C-level" 的階層，也就是職稱以 "Chief" (「長、主任」) 為首，以 "Officer" (「高級主管」) 結尾的階層。

a passing hobby  一時、瞬間的興趣

initial cloud infrastructure  初期的雲端基礎結構和設施

radio silence  以前收聽無線廣播電台，有時會因為技術上或其它不明的原因，放送中的節目會突然中斷，訊號消失，呈現無聲無息的狀態。這裡指Google 一年前宣稱要發展雲端架構，與亞馬遜一較高低，結果之後卻無聲無息，毫無作為。

CROW ABOUT 吹噓

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to crow about

delivery cadence

to roll out

文句

Just a year ago, Microsoft officials were crowing about Windows' much improved delivery cadence. Instead of rolling out a new version of Windows once every 2.5 to three years, the team was now on something closer to an annual rollout schedule.


解釋

to crow about  吹噓

delivery cadence  "cadence" 本來指的是「節奏」或「韻律」。這裡應該是指的生產或推出的「頻率」；因此，文句的最後提到：小組的進度已經接近了每年都會出陳推新的時間表。

to roll out 推出；公開展出

POWWOW 會議

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powwow

to stall

a dime a dozen
barely be evolutionary


文句

The biggest takeaway from the Mobile World Congress powwow was that hardware innovation has stalled, Android smartphones are a dime a dozen and Samsung's Galaxy S5 may barely be evolutionary.


解釋

powwow 會議；會談；商議

to stall  停滯

a dime a dozen  普遍；一般的事物

barely be evolutionary  幾乎無任何的進化，也就是沒什麼重大的改變。

MOCK-UP 實體模型

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mock-up

to see the light of day

文句

A Nokia handset running Android -- something many first believed to be a mock-up or a test model -- may, in fact, be a real product that potentially could see the light of day.


解釋

mock-up  為了實驗或展示所製作的實體模型

to see the light of day  指讓商品問世

SMIDGE 一丁點

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to be up-for-grabs

beefier camera

smidge heavier than

文句

The Galaxy S5, announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, was also up-for-grabs at an event in New York City. Landing with a slightly larger 5.1-inch high-definition 1080p display, a powerful Snapdragon 800 2.5GHz quad-core processor, and a beefier 16-megapixel camera, it is as you might expect a smidge heavier than the Galaxy S4. But that's expected considering it's packing a great deal more punch than the previous model.


解釋

to be up-for-grabs  可供競爭的；可以拿到手的

beefier camera  "beefy" 本來是指「強壯的」。在這兒應該是「能力更強的」意思。

smidge heavier than  比～稍微重那麼點

STICK OF WONDER 神奇棒

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to picture the scene

an obnoxious, space-taking device
a mystical stick of wonder

文句

Google has the Chromecast wireless media streaming device that plugs into your living room television set through a HDMI port. And one of the little know features to Microsoft's Windows 8's operating system is "Windows To Go," a way to put your entire computer on a USB stick that you can take anywhere you go…

You're starting to picture the scene. It's not necessarily about what your desktop or tablet can do anymore. It's about what that obnoxious, space-taking device in the corner of your home living room or work conference room can do when you plug in a mystical stick of wonder.


解釋

to picture the scene  想像這個長景

an obnoxious, space-taking device  一個令人討厭、佔空間的裝置

a mystical stick of wonder  一根神秘的神奇棒。文中的「棒」指的是一種無線影音串流的裝置，體積猶如USB的大小，裡頭裝有開機系統程式，方便攜帶，例如："Windows To Go", Dell 的 拇指 碟電腦（Thumb drive computer）。

WREAK HAVOC 造成浩劫

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nothing worse than

a compromised account

to wreak havoc


文句

From a network administrator’s point of view, there’s almost nothing worse than a compromised corporate email account. An outsider who can successfully break into that account can wreak havoc with every device and service that’s connected to it...


解釋

nothing worse than  沒比～更糟的事

a compromised account  被更改/被入侵/被危害的帳號。"compromise" 本來是「妥協」、「折衷」。這裡當然不可理解成被妥協。

to wreak havoc  造成破壞、浩劫

YOURS TRULY 我

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watcher
yours truly

incubation phase

to be afoot

字句

Many Microsoft watchers, including yours truly, wondered if Midori would ever exit its incubation phase. But with one-time champion Rudder moving in November to a new advanced strategy post -- plus the move of the Midori team into Myerson's OS group -- something seems to be afoot.


解釋

watcher 觀察家

yours truly  本來是英文信件屬名前的結語。這裡指 "我"，所以文句的意思是 "有許多微軟的觀察家，包括我..."。

incubation phase  本來是指 "孵化期"。這裡指 "研發期"

to be afoot  進行中；醞釀中

Midori  一個微軟正在研發的新作業系統

ON THE HEELS OF 緊跟在後

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on the heels of 

discoverability

Webified version

not intuitive

文句

On the heels of rebranding its "SkyDrive" cloud-storage service to "OneDrive," Microsoft may be poised to make some additional related branding and discoverability changes.

Currently, consumers who want to use the free, Webified versions of Microsoft's core Office apps -- the suite known as "Office Web Apps" -- need to know to go to SkyDrive and click on the "Create" tab to find Word Web App, Excel Web App, PowerPoint Web App and OneNote Web App. It's not intuitive by any stretch.


解釋

on the heels of  緊跟著～之後，在此指：緊隨（重新命名商標）之後

discoverability  （容易）讓人發掘的程度

Webified version   網頁化版本。這裡指在網頁上直接使用的 Windows Office 的版本。類似谷歌雲端硬碟內提供的辦公室套件 Google document 的功能。

not intuitive   不直覺

MAKE PLAIN 清楚顯示

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first and foremost
FY

to make plain


文句

Microsoft officials, first and foremost, want to position the company as a devices and services power house, or at least well on its way to becoming one.

The reality, as the company's Q2 FY 2014 earnings made plain is Microsoft is still a software company. And a primarily enterprise software company, at that.


解釋

first and foremost  最首要地
FY  財政年度（Fiscal Year）

to make plain  清楚顯示

GOBBLE UP 大消耗

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to gobble up

voracious

unprecedented

uplink and downlink data

文句

JDSU Research (formerly Arieso) revealed this week the iPhone 5s, the high-end flagship device in Apple's tag-team smartphone line-up, gobbles up to seven times as much as the benchmark iPhone 3G...

Partly due to the device's 4G and LTE connectivity, the iPhone 5s was described as the most "voracious" device out of 150 devices tested, "with unprecedented increases in uplink and downlink data demands," according to the research paper's author Michael Flanagan.


解釋

to gobble up  狼吞虎嚥。這裡指大幅度消耗太多資源。

voracious  貪心的；饞食的

unprecedented  史無前例的

uplink and downlink data  上傳和下載資料

MUDDY THE WATERS 弄糟

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to muddy the waters
to hit the scene
to cater


文句

The Windows tablet experience improved quite a bit with the Windows 8.1 update. Rumors about what's coming next could muddy the waters if they turn out to be accurate.

Like many, I wasn't impressed with how Windows 8 worked on tablets when it was first released. That changed when Windows 8.1 hit the scene, as I found the touch tablet experience to be much better. Rumors are now appearing about features expected to be in the next big updates for Windows and if accurate, it appears Microsoft is sacrificing some touch tablet UX to cater to those using a desktop system.


解釋

to muddy the waters  將水弄混濁。在此是指新的更新會讓原先的功能變差或變糟。

to hit the scene  公開；在市面上販賣

to cater  迎合

SMART THERMOSTAT 智慧型調溫器

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smart thermostat

smoke alarm

rest assured that

to plug

treasure trove

文句

Google said Monday that it will pay $3.2 billion in cash for Nest, which makes smart thermostats and smoke alarms. Rest assured that Google is hoping to plug smart homes together with Android devices, its developer ecosystem and treasure trove of data.


解釋

smart thermostat  智慧型調溫器

smoke alarm  煙霧警報器

rest assured that  確定無疑的是；可以保證的是。"that" 後面接子句。

to plug  有 "插上插頭"、"通電" 的意思。這裡指 Google 買下 Next 後，將結合自身的行動技術和資料庫，打造一個智慧型的家庭應用環境。這便是 "Internet of Things" 的應用範例。

treasure trove  裝滿寶藏的寶庫

THRESHOLD 門檻 - I

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details ... begining to merge

"Threshold"

go well beyond features

rear view mirror

to thread a needle

to preserve a cash cow

give away


文句

——The details around Windows 9---code named "Threshold"---are beginning to emerge, but the real action will go well beyond features and whether Microsoft can put Windows 8 in the rear view mirror. Microsoft's real challenge with Windows will be navigating a classic innovator's dilemma and how it can thread a needle between preserving a cash cow and ultimately give Windows away to hardware makers.


解釋

details... beginning to merge  指關於預計明年四月要發表的 Win 9 詳情將會開始出現。如同每次蘋果 iPhone 的新款手機正式發表之前，一連串猜測、外洩的新聞將接踵而來。

"Threshold"  Win9 的代號："門檻"

go well beyond features  問題完全不在其功能、特性；問題的本質遠超出這個層面。

rear view mirror  （車的）後照鏡

to thread a needle  字面上是 "穿針引線" 的動作。作這動作的人必須非常小心、精準才得以完成。這裡指如何以Windows作業系統，在給予免費和硬體開發商之間小心謹慎、拿捏精準，位自己的作為。

to preserve a cash cow  保留／保護搖錢樹

give away  （免費）放送／贈送

COGNITIVE COMPUTING 智慧運算 -- I

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to position sth. as

mainstream

cognitive computing era

文句

Positioning the launch of the IBM's Watson Business Group as the beginning of the mainstream cognitive computing era, CEO Ginny Rometty said Big Blue's technology will transform customers' industries, institutions and society.


解釋

to position sth. as  定位 ~ 成為。這裡的"position" 有 "提升"、"促使" 的涵義，文中指 "屈臣氏"集團 的事業將定位成 "認知運算" 的濫觴。

mainstream 主流（的）

cognitive computing era  "認知運算" / "(人工)智慧運算" 的時代

THROW WEIGHT BEHIND 大力支持

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to throw weight behind
a shot in the dark

a dual-boot

文句

With Intel, AMD, HP, Lenovo, and Asus all throwing their weight behind Android on the desktop, this isn't just a shot in the dark.Serious businesses believe that Android has a real role on the desktop. For that matter, Microsoft—of all companies!—seems to think people will want a dual-boot Android/Windows smartphone.


解釋

to throw weight behind  大力支持
a shot in the dark  隨意嘗試；胡亂猜測

a dual-boot  雙開機系統。這裡指安卓和微軟視窗系統。

VERTICALS 垂直市場

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initially
verticals
tailoring
pharmaceutical
natural language tool

文句

Watson has initially been focused on healthcare, but also has applications in insurance, financial services and other verticals. The biggest challenges to date for Watson have revolved around implementation and tailoring its artificial intelligence for new industries.

IBM plans to speed up Watson usage by turning it into a cloud service that can be used in the pharmaceutical, retail, banking, media and education industries. The idea is that Watson can be a natural language tool for research and development and an advisor in various industries.

解釋

initially  一開始

verticals  垂直市場 (vertical market)。只針對某一種行業、企業和職業的顧客提供貨品或服務的市場，有別於水平市場 (horizontal market)。後者提供的產品和服務範圍廣闊，對象可以遍及不同的性別、年齡層及興趣不同的顧客。

tailoring  調整以適應或配合

pharmaceutical  製藥、配藥

natural language tool  自然語言工具。應該是指可以提供分析、解析人類語言的工具。（參考）

GALAXY S5 - (III)

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a hodge podge
mashup work
smooth out
to have a low hopeto cut features and simplify
bloat
bendable


文句

Software refinement: The Galaxy S4 is a hodge podge of Android and Samsung applications. For the most part, the mashup works. However, Samsung should spend a bit more time on the user experience and overall feel of the software. Just smooth it out a bit. These changes, which would probably be hardly noticed by many, would improve the S5. I have low hopes that the S5 will have a totally smooth software approach. Samsung's approach just doesn't allow it to cut features and simplify. After all, the company wants to dominate your house and connect every gadget you have. It's far more likely Samsung will add some bloat to the Galaxy S5 so it can talk to the bendable TV you won't buy immediately or connect to your refrigerator and washer.

解釋

a hodge podge  混和、雜湊的東西
mashup work  混和、雜湊的作品
smooth out (a bit)  弄得順暢一點
to have a low hope  不抱有高的期望
to cut features and simplify  削減、去除和簡化一些功能
bloat  過多、過度（超出需求）的事物
bendable TV  指三星推出有弧度、可彎曲螢幕的電視

GALAXY S5 - (II)

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biometrics
gimmick
eye scrolling technology
iris reading
to nail
to sit out
end-all


文句

Biometrics done right: I have an iPhone 5s too and find the fingerprint scanner also to be a gimmick in many ways. It just doesn't do much for me. Samsung's eye scrolling technology could become an iris reading approach as hinted by the company. But the biometrics have to be done right. I've tried fingerprints and face recognition to open my phone. The PIN wins every time. If Samsung can't nail the biometric approach well it may be best to sit it out. I doubt people will care. Biometrics just aren't the end-all when buying a device.

解釋

biometrics  生物測定。為一門科學和技術，專門測量分析生物（大部分是人類）的特徵資料，如：DNA、指紋、視網膜、虹膜、聲音、臉部表情等，以應用在辨識身分的範疇。後頭接的 "done right"，是指作者希望三星能將這功能做好，弄得順暢，不要到頭來，還是得輸入密碼才能開始畫面。

gimmick  花招；噱頭；小伎倆。在此有負面的意思：利用生物測定的小噱頭，便想要吸引人。

eye scrolling technology  眼睛卷動技術。眼睛盯著手機螢幕，便可以讓畫面上下捲動。

iris reading  眼睛紅膜閱讀技術。

to nail  本來有"穩固" 的意思，這裡可以當做 "搞好" 或 "弄好"。

to sit out  本來是指到戶外坐著，不參與。這裡指將(那些只是噱頭的功能)屏除在外。

end-all  最終的目的

GALAXY S5 - (I)

字彙

to drop hints
likely features
rumor mill
go into overdrive
a hurdle rate
replicate the success


文句

Samsung is dropping hints about the Galaxy S5 and likely features and the rumor mill is starting to go into overdrive for what's likely to be a launch in March or April. One thing is clear though: Samsung has a high hurdle rate to replicate the success of the S3 launch.

解釋

to drop hints  暗示
likely features  有可能的特性或功能
rumor mill  謠言工廠
go into overdrive  很興奮地開始做某件事
a hurdle rate  最低預期資本回收率
to replicate the success  複製 (三星S3手機投產)的成功案例