VOA常速英语2017--VR头显或成未来手机市场主流配置

The real-time counter on the GSMA Intelligence website shows the constant rise of mobile phone subscribers worldwide.

GSMA移动智库(GSMA Intelligence)上的实时统计显示，全球的移动手机用户数量在持续增加。

The market is huge and there's plenty of money to be made, but there's a design challenge for manufacturers.

虽然市场很大，也有很多盈利的空间，但制造商也同时面临着设计方面的挑战。

"How do you differentiate¹ a rectangular block with a touchscreen, a battery and a camera? And what we've seen at Mobile World Congress is some of the manufacturers addressing that with some of the launches they've delivered."

“你会怎样通过触摸屏、电池、摄像头来区分不同手机的呢？我们在世界移动通信大会上，看到一些制造商展示了自己推出的一些产品，解决了这一问题。”

The cool factor

酷炫的元素

For Sony, it's all about the camera. Its Xperia X phone has a camera that is ready to take a picture in less than 0.6 second.

索尼专注于做手机的摄像头。他Xperia X款手机的摄像头照相仅需不到0.6秒。

LG’s new G5 has a modular design and an assortment² of attachments³ that add battery life and upgrade the phone's camera function.

LG新出的G5配有标准化设计和各种附件，以延长电池寿命并升级手机的摄像头功能。

Samsung’s Galaxy⁴ the S7 has a larger battery, and you can add memory as much as 200 gigabytes.

三星的Galaxy S7则是电池更大，能增加10亿字节的记忆存储。

The price point

关于价格

But these gadgets⁵ cost a lot, so manufacturers in China and India are coming out with cheaper smartphones.

上述配件的成本都很高，所以中国和印度的制造商开始生产成本更低的智能手机。

"We are seeing a swing from developed markets to developing markets. So, more Chinese brands. More Indian brands. And I think, potentially, also more African brands in the future, as well."

“我们看到市场开始从发达国家的市场转向了发展中国家的市场。我是说，越来越多的中国手机品牌和印度手机品牌。而且我预测，未来也会有更多的非洲品牌出现。”

But with cameras that can shoot 360 degrees, another opportunity is opening up: virtual reality. Samsung is already pairing its phone with VR goggles⁶.

不过，能进行360°无死角拍摄的摄像头的出现为我们打开一个新的契机：虚拟现实(VR)。三星已经在为手机配置相应的VR头显了。

The VR key

VR是关键

"These are the devices that are going to generate loads of content, and user-generated content is going to be key to driving the market."

“这些部件能产生很多信息，而从客户产生出来的信息对于推动市场具有重要意义。”

Manufacturers are hoping that, very soon, almost everybody will want a set of VR goggles for gaming, exploring distant places or mingling⁷ with friends and family who are not physically⁸ present. And connectivity may soon be available to new areas.

制造商希望，不出多久，每个人都能人手一套VR头显来玩游戏、探索遥远地带、跟不在身边的朋友和家人相聚。这些新领域的连通性将很快得以实现。

"We are, this year, going to launch our first satellite over Africa in order to be able to work with operators to extend connectivity and beam down Internet there."

“今年，我们将会向非洲上空发射第一颗卫星，这样我们就能跟运营商合作，扩展非洲的连通性，让非洲的互联网发达起来。”

CCS Insight predicts that by the end of this year, consumers will buy as many as 13 million virtual reality headsets.

市场研究机构CCS Insight预测，今年年底之前，VR头显的购买量将高达1300万。

1 differentiate   

vi.(between)区分；vt.区别；使不同

参考例句：

• You can differentiate between the houses by the shape of their chimneys.你可以凭借烟囱形状的不同来区分这两幢房子。
• He never learned to differentiate between good and evil.他从未学会分辨善恶。

2 assortment   

n.分类，各色俱备之物，聚集

参考例句：

• This shop has a good assortment of goods to choose from.该店各色货物俱全，任君选择。
• She was wearing an odd assortment of clothes.她穿着奇装异服。

3 attachments   

n.（用电子邮件发送的）附件( attachment的名词复数 )；附着；连接；附属物

参考例句：

• The vacuum cleaner has four different attachments. 吸尘器有四个不同的附件。
• It's an electric drill with a range of different attachments. 这是一个带有各种配件的电钻。

4 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

5 gadgets   

n.小机械，小器具（ gadget的名词复数 ）

参考例句：

• Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置，做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

6 goggles   

n.护目镜

参考例句：

• Skiers wear goggles to protect their eyes from the sun.滑雪者都戴上护目镜使眼睛不受阳光伤害。
• My swimming goggles keep steaming up so I can't see.我的护目镜一直有水雾，所以我看不见。

7 mingling   

adj.混合的

参考例句：

• There was a spring of bitterness mingling with that fountain of sweets. 在这个甜蜜的源泉中间，已经掺和进苦涩的山水了。
• The mingling of inconsequence belongs to us all. 这场矛盾混和物是我们大家所共有的。

8 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。