智能手機大戰正在上演

It has been a frantic fortnight for gadget lovers and the Apple iPhone 5 launch was the grand finale of the whole shebang. But not without a brush of disappointment. Let's face it, a product has yet to appear that could revolutionize the smartphone landscape as the iPhone did when it launched years ago.
過去的兩週對數碼迷們來說真是段瘋狂的時光，蘋果iPhone5的發佈成爲這一切的壓軸戲。但結果卻是一絲絲失望。面對現實吧！還尚未有任何一種產品可以像數年前iPhone剛剛面世時那樣掀起智能手機界的革命。

The lack of surprises this season seems to place the industry in a more balanced position in which customers are spoiled by a plethora of handsets options.
本季的平淡無奇使得手機業界戰火稍稍平息，可供用戶來選擇的手機種類可謂五花八門，這也使得消費者被寵壞了。

Apple plays it safe, again
蘋果再次穩紮穩打

At first glance there's not much difference between the new iPhone 5 and its previous products. But there have been a few tweaks. It's slightly longer, sporting a 4-inch screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio that allows you to watch widescreen videos without those annoying black bars on both sides.
乍一看，iPhone5同之前的幾款蘋果手機並無太大差別，但其實還是有一些改進的。iPhone5機身略長，搭配16比9的4英寸屏，這樣一來，你便可以告別屏幕兩側那惱人的小黑邊，盡享觀看寬屏視頻的體驗了。

The latest iPhone is much more slender too. At only 7.6mm thick, Apple claims it is the thinnest in the world. The glass back has been replaced by an all-metal shell with a two-tone effect. The connector is also smaller, which is bad news for those who just spent US$1,000 (6,300 yuan) on a new dock .
最新款的iPhone也更加輕薄。蘋果公司宣稱，這是世界上最薄的手機，厚度僅有7.6毫米。原先的玻璃背板已經換成了雙色調金屬外殼。接口也變小了，這對那些剛剛花上1000美元（約合6300人民幣）買了新dock音響的人來說是個壞消息。

But as this shows, hardware can hardly differentiate rivals anymore. It's up to the software to run the show.
而這表明，拼硬件已經很難將自己與競爭對手們區分開來。軟件成爲制勝的關鍵。

A big feature discussed alongside the iPhone 5 at its launch was the iOS 6 – the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system. It offers a selection of new features, most notably a replacement of Google's mapping software. Apple's own take on maps provides turn-by-turn navigation and local business information. An enhanced version of Siri the robot is also featured.
與iPhone5一起備受熱議的一大賣點是最新的蘋果手機操作系統iOS6。該系統提供了一系列新功能，其中最顯著的變化便是放棄Google地圖。蘋果自主研發的地圖爲用戶提供在車輛需要拐彎時進行語音提醒的導航服務，還能顯示周邊商業信息。升級版的Siri機器人也頗受關注。

Finnish paradox
諾基亞的自相矛盾

Nokia was a major casualty of the iPhone revolution. The mobile phone giant, allying with Microsoft, is trying hard to compete with its new generation of flagship smartphones – the “Lumia” series.
諾基亞是iPhone革命中的主要受害者。這個手機巨頭與微軟合作，正極力想通過自己的新一代旗艦版智能手機——Lumia系列扳回一局。

In terms of hardware, Nokia's Lumia 920 seems to match the iPhone on every aspect.
在硬件上，諾基亞的Lumia920似乎在各個方面上都與iPhone旗鼓相當。

Its 4.5 inch screen is 0.5 inch bigger than Apple's counterpart, and a 8.7 megapixel rear camera beats the iPhone5 by 0.7. Both handsets have adopted dual-core predecessors, but Nokia wins the upper hand on battery life. Wireless charging technology is seen as a highlight.
其4.5英寸的屏幕超出對手iPhone5半英寸，後置攝像頭（870萬像素）超過iPhone5達70萬像素之多。這兩款手機都配有雙核處理器，不過，諾基亞在電池壽命上更勝一籌。無線充電技術也成爲一大亮點。

Despite seemingly outperforming its rival, Nokia's share price plummeted 16 percent following the release of its new gadget, according to AP. Investors said that the Finnish manufacturer still lacks a “wow” factor.
據美聯社報道稱，雖然諾基亞看似比對手更勝一籌，但是當這款新型手機上市後，諾基亞的股價大跌16%。投資人士認爲，這個來自芬蘭的手機制造商仍缺乏讓人眼前一亮的產品。

The Lumia's software might be to blame. Supporting only around 100,000 apps, compared with more than 500,000 for Android and iPhones, Windows phones have so far not been well received in the market, and the negligible edge it has on hardware could not wield its full power to impress customers and outshine the competition.
而這可能要歸咎於Lumia的軟件。安卓和蘋果系統都擁有超過50萬個的應用程序，但相比之下Windows手機只搭載了約10萬個應用程序，這點使得Windows手機的市場銷路堪憂；同時，硬件上的微弱優勢不能拼盡全力來打動消費者，以至於無法在手機大戰中脫穎而出。

Moreover, adverts allegedly demonstrating the phone's stunning camera were later found to be based on photos shot on professional equipment. This almost ensured that Nokia's return to the smartphone arena is yet to come.
除此以外，據稱，Lumia920廣告中展示出了強大拍照功能，但後來被人發現這些照片都是使用專業設備拍攝的。這點基本上能說明，諾基亞迴歸智能手機競技場的日子還沒有到來。

Galaxy on the rise
三星Galaxy的崛起

Samsung's vice is exterior design. Sticking to the Galaxy series' plastic shell, it doesn't quite have the luxurious, reliable feel of the iPhone or Lumia. At 4.8 inches, the Galaxy S III's screen is chunky, almost crossing the boundary into tablets. Whereas a big screen is useful for watching movies and playing 3D games, it is less convenient to hold and carry around.
三星手機的外觀設計是硬傷。執着於Galaxy系列的塑料外殼，三星手機完全沒有像iPhone或Lumia手機那樣的奢華感和信賴感。Galaxy S III手機的4.8英寸屏幕十分厚實，幾乎相當於一臺平板電腦了。雖然超大屏利於看電影和玩3D遊戲，但手握感欠佳且不便於攜帶。

Following its dual-core predecessor, Galaxy S III's quad-core version makes it the most powerful smartphone yet. The problem is that most apps don't yet take advantage of four-core chips, meaning that for the most part that powerful processor is just sucking away at battery life.
在推出雙核處理器之後，Galaxy S III這次搭載的四核處理器使它成爲目前最強大的智能手機。問題在於，大多數應用程序還不適用於四核芯片，這就意味着大多數情況下，這個強大的處理器僅僅在那裏消耗電量，別無它用。

As an Android raider, Galaxy S III's new 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich system lets you drag live widgets to your home screens, showing you live information without having to boot up an app. That's a feature Android owners regularly flaunt in front of iPhone fans, whose home screens don't offer this level of customization.
作爲一款安卓機，Galaxy S III搭載的全新冰淇淋三明治4.0操作系統讓你可以直接將應用程序拖進主屏，無需啓動應用程序也可查看實時信息。這也成爲安卓用戶可以常常在蘋果迷面前炫耀的一點，而蘋果手機屏幕沒有提供這種定製化的服務。