酷兔英语


Finally, Research in Motion has its first true touch-screen BlackBerry without a keyboard.


动态研究公司(Research in Motion, RIM)终于推出了第一款没有键盘的名副其实的触摸屏黑莓手机。



This smartphone, called the BlackBerry Torch 9850, improves on past BlackBerry models like the Storm, which nixed a physical keyboard but required users to press down on its screen as well as touch its glass, and the Torch 9800, which offered a real touch screen but maintained a slide-out keyboard.


这款名为"BlackBerry Torch 9850"的智能手机在先前的Storm等黑莓手机的基础上做了改进。Storm虽然没有物理键盘,但要求用户除了按住屏幕还要向下用力。而Torch 9800虽然有了真正的触摸屏,但仍保留了一个滑出式键盘。



I've been testing the Torch 9850 over the past several days and while its looks will lure you in, its place in the mobile-app ecosystem will push you away. This device, which uses an upgraded 7.0 version of the aging BlackBerry operating system, becomes available from Sprint on Sunday.


这几天,我一直在检测Torch 9850。虽然它的外观会吸引你,但它在应用程序方面的弱势也许会让你对它敬而远之。



It costs $150 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate that comes in the form of an American Express rewards card.


Torch 9850有着纤薄的锥形机身和一个漂亮的3.7英寸高清晰触摸屏──这是目前为止最大的黑莓手机显示屏。



Two other new BlackBerry models with touch screens and physical keyboards will be out on Sunday: the $250 Bold 9930 from Sprint -- a Verizon model is available online now -- and the $50 Torch 9810 from AT&T; all prices require two-year contracts.


手机的一端是四个常用的快捷按键和小小的光学触控板,这个触控板对准确选择单词和屏幕上的图标提供了很大的便利。其高速处理器敏感度强,反应迅速。



Neither device has a remarkably different design from its predecessor; rather, they have better processors and run the 7.0 BlackBerry operating system.


以往很多黑莓用户从口袋里掏出手机时总是感到自己落后于时代,如今这款手机可以帮他们挣回面子了。



The Torch 9850's thin, tapered design houses a gorgeous 3.7-inch, high-resolution touch screen -- the largest display yet on a BlackBerry.


但是实际上,这款新型Torch产品的亮点大都停留在表面上。它所搭载的RIM新推出的7.0操作系统的用户界面与其前身6.0相比并没有显著的不同。更糟糕的是,能够在新操作系统上运行的应用程序的数量甚至比老款黑莓手机还要少。



One end of the device holds the four familiar shortcut buttons and small optical trackpad, which is a huge help for precisely selecting a word or object on the screen. And the 9850's speedy processor gives it fast, responsive performance.


RIM的发言人只说,7.0操作系统当前可以运行"数千"个应用程序,并且这一数字还将稳步增长。但是黑莓的官方应用程序商店BlackBerry App World提供35,000种应用程序,苹果(Apple)的应用程序商店App Store则提供425,000种应用程序,谷歌(Google)的Android Market提供的应用软件也超过250,000种。



BlackBerry users who are tired of feeling like they're behind the times whenever they pull out their smartphones will surely save face with this model.


RIM的粉丝在等待能够运行QNX的黑莓手机。QNX是该公司的下一代操作系统,其用户界面生动新颍,在原有黑莓操作系统的基础上有了全方位的改进。但是RIM的联席执行长麦克•拉扎里迪斯(Mike Lazaridis)说,搭载QNX的黑莓手机2012年初才能上市。



Indeed, the appeal of this new Torch is mostlysuperficial. The user interface of RIM's new 7.0 operating system isn't noticeably different than its predecessor, 6.0. What's worse is that the selection of apps that run on this new operating system is even smaller than the number of apps available for older BlackBerrys.


黑莓的铁杆粉丝想知道的第一件事情是,Torch 9850的屏幕键盘是否好用。在第一天的测试过程中,我一直对此心存怀疑。



A RIM spokesman would only say that 'thousands' of apps currently work on the 7.0 OS and that the number would steadily grow. But the overall BlackBerry App World holds 35,000 apps, while Apple's App Store offers 425,000 apps and Google's Android Market offers over 250,000 apps.


和所有的屏幕键盘一样,使用这一款屏幕键盘也需要一个适应期。用过几天之后,我就感到得心应手很多了。但是即使是过了适应期,在编写较长的电子邮件时,我还是禁不住会去用我那个老版本的带有物理按键的黑莓手机。使用这款新型Torch手机的用户需要痛下决心,彻底停止使用物理按键,以避免经历这样的反复。



RIM fans are holding out for a BlackBerry that will run QNX, the company's next-generation operating system that could give BlackBerrys a operating-system overhaul with dramatic new user interface. But Mike Lazaridis, RIM's co-CEO, announced that a BlackBerry with QNX won't be available until early 2012. People hoping to upgrade their current BlackBerrys in the meantime will be disappointed to hear that none of the BlackBerrys released before this group can be upgraded to the 7.0 operating system.


RIM的"SureType"技术可以追踪用户的打字习惯和高频单词,对即将输入的内容进行智能推测,因此,Torch屏幕键盘的使用时间越长,单词输入就越方便。



The first thing hard-core BlackBerry fans will ask is how the on-screen keyboard on Torch 9850 works. I was skeptical throughout my first day with it.


电子邮件功能一直是黑莓手机的一个强项,Torch 9850也不例外。新操作系统的改进之处包括,通过重叠Gmail中的对话式显示往来信息来处理相关信息的方式更为智能。如果你在阅读某个对话系列的最近一条信息,但是这个对话系列中有一条很早发来的信息你没有读过,这时候,最上面的那条信息的图标下面就会出现黄色的提示。和网络版的Gmail一样,用户也可以用这款黑莓手机给邮件加星标,但是不能像网络版Gmail那样,自动将邮件归入"重要和未读"(Important and Unread)、"其他所有"(Everything Else)的类别当中。



Like all on-screen keyboards, using this one requires an adjustment period, and I felt much more comfortable using it after several days. But even after that adjustment period, I still reached for my old BlackBerry with the physical keyboard to compose long emails. New Torch users should consider going cold turkey with a physical keyboard to prevent such relapses.


这一批新推出的黑莓手机都采用了RIM的"Liquid Graphics"技术。这项技术的目的是实现高效、流畅的触屏效果。我发现,虽然这款手机的触屏效果比先前任何一款黑莓手机都有显著的提升,但是和iPhone4或新推出的Android手机相比,速度优势并不明显。



RIM's SureType technology tracks users' typing patterns and frequent-word occurrences to smartly predict what they'll most likely be writing, so the Torch's touch-screen keyboard does get better the more a person uses it.


同样,新推出的7.0操作系统的网络浏览器速度也很快,显示网页内容时表现不俗,不过不能播放Flash视频。



Email has always been a strength of the BlackBerry, and the Torch 9850 is no exception. Enhancements in its new operating system include smarter handling of Gmail messages by stacking messages according to conversations. If you read the most recent message in a conversation thread but there's a message further back in that same thread that you haven't read, a yellow glow appears below the icon representing the top message. Emails can also be starred, like in the Web version of Gmail, but can't be automatically sorted into categories of 'Important and Unread' and 'Everything Else' like the Web version.


黑莓6.0中的通用搜索已经有所改善,但7.0又有新的突破──增加了语音搜索功能。我试用了好几次,表现都很不错。



Each model in this new crop of BlackBerrys has what RIM calls Liquid Graphics technology, a feature that intends to deliver fast and smooth touch-screenperformance. I found the performance to be noticeably better than any previous BlackBerry, but it didn't feel dramatically faster than an iPhone 4 or new Android device.


我还用Torch 9850 500万像素的摄像头照出了漂亮的照片,并快速将其一次性地上传到Twitter和Facebook这些社交网络上。我发现Torch 9850的处理器速度不同凡响──我在安装了一个应用程序的更新版后重启黑莓手机,通常需要花好几分钟的这一过程只需几秒钟就搞定了。



Likewise, the Web browser on the new 7.0 operating system felt speedy and did a good job displaying Web pages' content, but it didn't play Flash videos.


如果你对黑莓手机情有独锺,并急着想要更新现有手机的话,可以考虑黑莓Torch 9850,它外形美观,处理各种任务的速度很快。但是,应用程序上的不足是它的一大缺陷,对于那些想要购买一款能够与iPhone产品相媲美的黑莓手机的粉丝来说,这一款产品是无法满足其要求的。



Universal search was already enhanced in the BlackBerry 6.0 operating system, but in 7.0 it now works with voice searches. I tried this several times with good luck.


Katherine Boehret