時事単語＆ニュース（９）
ジャパンタイムズの「番号ポータビリティ制度」の記事より Mobile carriers jostle as number portability starts By SHINICHI TERADA Staff writerThe much-awaited number portability started Tuesday, with mobile carriers offering new gadgets and services to woo customers.Users can now take their telephone numbers with them when they move to another service provider, although their mobile e-mail addresses will have to change."We have been preparing for this moment, improving music functions and designs on newly launched mobile phones," said Hirofumi Morozumi, general manager of consumer business at KDDI Corp., the No. 2 carrier.He was speaking at a launch ceremony for number portability at the Bic Camera in Tokyo's Yurakucho district. Top carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. and Softbank Mobile Corp., which holds the No. 3 spot, were also at the launch.Bunya Kumagai, managing director of marketing at DoCoMo, said his firm is ready to compete. "We are proud of our new lineup of models that download music more quickly and services like network coverage," Kumagai said.Softbank President Masayoshi Son captured the most attention at the launch because of the firm's surprise announcement the night before that it was slashing phone charges starting Thursday. Customers will be able to make phone calls and send e-mail to other Softbank phone users for free during daytime hours. "Users can surf the Net anytime and anywhere, and as much as you want, at a cheaper price than rivals," Son said. "More surprises are to come," he added. The other carriers said they would not respond to the announcement until they saw how users react to the price cuts. "Softbank's move was much-anticipated. But we don't intend to slash prices for the time being. Instead, we aim to strengthen our handsets' music and download services, and improve their designs," KDDI's Morozumi said.People browsing the mobile phone displays at the Yurakucho store were not in a hurry to change service providers. （以下省略）gadget 【名-1】 （目新しい）道具、装置、面白い小物【名-2】 （個人用の）小型の電子機器◆2000年ごろから電子機器の小型化・軽量化が進み、Palm などの PDA（携帯情報端末）が流行したこともあり、gadget はこのような携帯用電子機器を指して使われることが多くなった。このような商品は特に日本で需要が高く、また日本で新商品が誕生することが多いことから、"gadget-loving Japanese"（ガジェット好きな日本人）という言葉もニュースや雑誌記事などで散見される。woo 【自動-1】 〈古〉（男性が）求婚する、求愛する【自動-2】 求める、得ようとする【他動-1】 〈古〉（女性に）求婚する、求愛する【他動-2】 （同意などを）求める、得ようとする【他動-3】 （～するよう（人）に）せがむ、懇願するgadgetと聞いて、昔「ガジェット警部」というアニメがあったのを思い出しました。機械仕掛けの警察官と女の子と犬がでてきてたような・・なつかしい。 ＞＞英字新聞で英語の勉強をしよう！！
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