韩国:"虚拟女友"助单身男排解寂寞

Lonesome South Koreans who have trouble finding true love can now get video calls from a beautiful and cute girlfriend -- if they download a smartphone application.

Nabix, a South Korean apps developer, launched one called "Honey, it's me!" on November 30 for iPhone users. It achieved 80,000 downloads a day during an initial free launch period.

There are a number of apps on the market that can make single men feel a little less lonesome, including a night time app that plays the sound of a female sleeping peacefully on the next pillow.

But the "Honey, it's me!" app appears to be the first to make video-calls from a virtual model. Mina, 22, video-calls smartphone users three to four times a day for some sweet talk.

Her messages range from "Are you still sleeping? Time for breakfast!" to "Good night, sweet dreams".

A Korean model posed for the video calls and recorded more than 100 comments to melt the hearts of single men.

"I've developed this application to console people for their loneliness," Kim Yoon-Kak, head of Nabix, told the reporters.

Kim said usage had declined since the app went on sale for 1.99 dollars, but he planned to allow free downloads again from this week.

Early reaction to Mina has been enthusiastic. "It's a blessing for all single men," praised one of the users on Twitter.

"Mina called me while I was working overtime. This is just great," said another.

Nabix now plans new versions with more messages in English, Chinese and Japanese, both for free and with a charge for longer comments. An Android version will also be launched.

在韩国，只要下载一款智能手机软件，难觅真爱的寂寞男们就可以接到美丽迷人的女友打来的视频电话了。

韩国软件开发商Nabix11月30日为iPhone手机用户最新推出了一款名为“宝贝，是我！”的手机软件。在最初的免费试用阶段，这款软件的每日下载量高达8万次。

目前市场上有多款软件可以抚慰单身男士寂寞的心灵，其中一款夜用软件能播放女性睡在枕边的安详呼吸声。

但“宝贝，是我！”这款软件似乎是首个可以使用户接到虚拟女友视频电话的软件。虚拟的22岁女友米娜每天给智能手机用户打3到4次电话，说些甜言蜜语。

通话内容包括“你还没睡醒吗？该吃早饭啦！”，或者“晚安，做个好梦。”等等。

一位韩国模特为通话录下视频镜头，还录下了上百段对话，足以融化男士的心。

Nabix公司经理金荣甲在接受记者采访时说：“我开发这款软件是为了安慰寂寞的人。”

金先生表示，自从软件定价1.99美元出售后，使用率有所下降，但他计划在本周重启免费下载。

“米娜”面世之初，人们对她都很热情。推特微博上的一名用户夸赞说：“这是所有单身男人的福音。”

另一位用户说：“当我加班时米娜会给我打电话，这种感觉真棒。”

Nabix公司目前计划开发英语、汉语、日语等多语言软件版本，并提供更多语音信息。软件可免费使用，较长的交谈需付费。同时还将推出Android手机版本。

Vocabulary:

video call: 视频电话