智能手机大战正在上演

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.
过去的两周对数码迷们来说真是段疯狂的时光，苹果iPhone5的发布成为这一切的压轴戏。但结果却是一丝丝失望。面对现实吧！还尚未有任何一种产品可以像数年前iPhone刚刚面世时那样掀起智能手机界的革命。

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.
本季的平淡无奇使得手机业界战火稍稍平息，可供用户来选择的手机种类可谓五花八门，这也使得消费者被宠坏了。

Apple plays it safe, again
苹果再次稳扎稳打

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同之前的几款苹果手机并无太大差别，但其实还是有一些改进的。iPhone5机身略长，搭配16比9的4英寸屏，这样一来，你便可以告别屏幕两侧那恼人的小黑边，尽享观看宽屏视频的体验了。

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 The glass back has been replaced by an all-metal shell with a two-tone effect.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也更加轻薄。苹果公司宣称，这是世界上最薄的手机，厚度仅有7.6毫米。原先的玻璃背板已经换成了双色调金属外壳。接口也变小了，这对那些刚刚花上1000美元（约合6300人民币）买了新dock音响的人来说是个坏消息。

But as this shows, hardware can hardly differentiate rivals anymore. It's up to the software to run the show.
而这表明，拼硬件已经很难将自己与竞争对手们区分开来。软件成为制胜的关键。

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.
与iPhone5一起备受热议的一大卖点是最新的苹果手机操作系统iOS6。该系统提供了一系列新功能，其中最显著的变化便是放弃Google地图。苹果自主研发的地图为用户提供在车辆需要拐弯时进行语音提醒的导航服务，还能显示周边商业信息。升级版的Siri机器人也颇受关注。

Finnish paradox
诺基亚的自相矛盾

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.
诺基亚是iPhone革命中的主要受害者。这个手机巨头与微软合作，正极力想通过自己的新一代旗舰版智能手机——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，诺基亚的Lumia920似乎在各个方面上都与iPhone旗鼓相当。

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英寸的屏幕超出对手iPhone5半英寸，后置摄像头（870万像素）超过iPhone5达70万像素之多。这两款手机都配有双核处理器，不过，诺基亚在电池寿命上更胜一筹。无线充电技术也成为一大亮点。

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.
据美联社报道称，虽然诺基亚看似比对手更胜一筹，但是当这款新型手机上市后，诺基亚的股价大跌16%。投资人士认为，这个来自芬兰的手机制造商仍缺乏让人眼前一亮的产品。

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.
而这可能要归咎于Lumia的软件。安卓和苹果系统都拥有超过50万个的应用程序，但相比之下Windows手机只搭载了约10万个应用程序，这点使得Windows手机的市场销路堪忧；同时，硬件上的微弱优势不能拼尽全力来打动消费者，以至于无法在手机大战中脱颖而出。

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，据称，Lumia920广告中展示出了强大拍照功能，但后来被人发现这些照片都是使用专业设备拍摄的。这点基本上能说明，诺基亚回归智能手机竞技场的日子还没有到来。

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.
三星手机的外观设计是硬伤。执着于Galaxy系列的塑料外壳，三星手机完全没有像iPhone或Lumia手机那样的奢华感和信赖感。Galaxy S III手机的4.8英寸屏幕十分厚实，几乎相当于一台平板电脑了。虽然超大屏利于看电影和玩3D游戏，但手握感欠佳且不便于携带。

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.
在推出双核处理器之后，Galaxy S III这次搭载的四核处理器使它成为目前最强大的智能手机。问题在于，大多数应用程序还不适用于四核芯片，这就意味着大多数情况下，这个强大的处理器仅仅在那里消耗电量，别无它用。

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.
作为一款安卓机，Galaxy S III搭载的全新冰淇淋三明治4.0操作系统让你可以直接将应用程序拖进主屏，无需启动应用程序也可查看实时信息。这也成为安卓用户可以常常在苹果迷面前炫耀的一点，而苹果手机屏幕没有提供这种定制化的服务。