科技前沿:谷歌新款Nexus7 平价平板之王

Does size still matter? Just a year ago, Google introduced its Nexus 7, a mini tablet for $199 that posed a real challenge to Apple's bigger, pricier iPad. Three months later, Apple retaliated with its own small tablet, the iPad Mini, though its $329 price wasn't, well, mini enough for some.

尺寸仍然重要吗？就在一年前，谷歌(Google)推出了Nexus 7。这款售价为199美元的迷你平板电脑，对苹果公司(Apple)屏幕更大、价格更高的iPad构成了真正的威胁。三个月后，苹果推出了小型平板电脑iPad Mini予以还击，虽然329美元的价格对于很多人来说并不“迷你”。

Now, a year after the introduction of the first Nexus 7, Google has unveiled a revamped version of its mini tablet with better features and a slightly bigger $229 price tag.

如今，第一代Nexus 7推出一年之后，谷歌发布了它的新版本。这款平板配备了更强大的功能，价格小幅上涨至229美元。

Starting July 30, this new Nexus 7 is available in a dozen retail outlets including Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Amazon.

这款全新的Nexus 7从7月30日开始登录各大销售平台，包括百思买(Best Buy)、沃尔玛(Wal-Mart)和亚马逊(Amazon)。

I tested it for the past week and found myself drawn to this sturdy, elegant, responsive device from a company once known primarily for its search prowess.

经过一周的测试，我发现自己深深爱上了这款坚固、优雅、反应灵敏的设备；而它的生产商过去主要是以其强大的搜索业务著称。

The most notable difference between this new Nexus 7 and the iPad Mini is screen quality: The Nexus has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 with 323 pixels per inch, and the iPad Mini's screen resolution is just 1024 x 768 and 163 pixels per inch. It is also slightly lighter than its Apple rival.

新款Nexus 7和iPad Mini最大的差别在于屏幕：新款Nexus的分辨率高达1920 x 1200，每英寸323像素；而iPad Mini的屏幕分辨率仅为1024 x 768，每英寸163像素。并且Nexus 7也更为轻便。

So what's not to like about the new Nexus 7? For one thing, its 7-inch screen isn't as big as the nearly 8-inch iPad Mini's. While an inch of difference isn't remarkable, smartphone screens are growing to over 5 inches, making the Nexus 7 look more like one of those than a tablet.

那么新款Nexus 7有什么劣势呢？首先，七英寸的屏幕相比iPad Mini接近八英寸的屏幕要小一些。尽管一英寸的差异并不显著，不过很多智能手机的屏幕都已经超过五英寸了，这就让Nexus 7看起来更像一部手机而不是平板电脑。

Another drawback: In my test, the new Nexus 7's battery life was underwhelming. Compared with the same battery test of the iPad Mini and first Nexus 7, it fell short at just six hours; the others clocked in at 10 hours and 27 minutes and 10 hours and 44 minutes, respectively. Google claims the battery life can last over nine hours, but the company tests it in Airplane mode (Internet connection off), with screen brightness set to 44% while playing video. I keep Wi-Fi on in the background and screen brightness at 75% while playing video.

其次，在我的测试中，新款Nexus 7电池的续航能力比较平庸。在相同的测试条件下，iPad Mini的电量可以维持10小时27分钟，第一代Nexus 7为10小时44分钟，而新款Nexus 7的续航时间仅有六个小时。谷歌声称其新款Nexus 7的电池可以维持超过九个小时，但它们的测试是在飞行模式（没有网络连接）、屏幕亮度44%的设置下播放视频。而我是一直开着无线网络并把亮度调到75%来播放视频的。

This new mini tablet comes in two sizes that are Wi-Fi-only: a $229 16-gigabyte model and a $269 32-gigabyte model. A version with a built-in LTE Internet connection on Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile will be available in coming weeks for $349 with 32 gigabytes. Meanwhile, Apple's iPad Mini is available in three flavors each of Wi-Fi-only and LTE: 16-, 32- and 64-gigabyte models ranging in price from $329 to $659.

这款全新迷你平板电脑有两种版本可选：16G的价格229美元，32G的售价269美元，均为Wi-Fi版本。而内置Verizon、AT＆T或T-Mobile公司LTE 网络的型号，将会在未来的数周内推出，内存32G，售价为349美元。与之相比，苹果的iPad Mini有Wi-Fi和LTE两种型号，根据内存（16G、32G和64 G）的不同，价格从329美元至659美元不等。

The new Nexus 7 runs Android 4.3, the latest iteration of Google's Jelly Bean mobile operating system. While not a major upgrade from the last Jelly Bean release in October, it does add a few new features.

新款Nexus 7的操作系统是谷歌公司“果冻豆(Jelly Bean)”操作系统的最新版本──安卓(Android) 4.3。虽然相对于去年十月发布的“果冻豆”系统并不算一次主要升级，可4.3版本仍然增添了一些新特色。

One notable extra is Restricted Profiles. Rather than simply giving you the ability to create multiple user accounts for one tablet, Restricted Profiles allow user accounts with preset restrictions on access to apps and content. I tested this by creating a Restricted Profile named 'Pretend Kiddo' in Settings, Users, Add User or Profile. I then went down a list of my device's apps and switched access on or off, according to what I wanted Pretend Kiddo to be able to access. Certain apps in this list clearly say 'This app can access your accounts,' so you know what you're turning on or off.

一个特色是“限制档案(Restricted Profiles)”。不同于单纯地在同一部平板电脑上创立多个账号，“限制档案”能够让使用者提前设置一些应用程序和内容的访问限制。为了测试这项功能，我在“设置-用户-添加用户或档案”里，创立了一个叫做“假装小孩(Pretend Kiddo)”的账号。然后我看了一遍设备上的应用程序列表，并根据我想让“假装小孩”这个账号能够登录的具体程序来设置登录限制。一些应用程序清晰标明了“这款应用程序能够登录您的账号”，因此，你可以很容易地知道究竟应该要打开还是关掉它。

Creating a Restricted Profile requires that the primary tablet owner use a lockscreen, so that other users without full access can't get to everything else. In addition to limiting what the Restricted Profile can access, specific app settings, such as in-app purchases and age restrictions, can also be tweaked.

创建一个“限制档案”需要主账户使用锁屏程序，这样其他没有完整权限的用户就不能登入某些程序。除了设置“限制档案”的登录权限，个别应用程序的设置，例如程序内购买和年龄限制也可以调整。

Another new Android feature allows users to play games against friends while keeping track of their achievements using Google Play Games. This is a lot like Game Center on Apple's iOS.

另外一个新的特色就是通过谷歌游戏中心(Google Play Games)，用户可以和朋友们在游戏中对抗并记录成绩。这和苹果iOS系统的游戏中心(Game Center)功能类似。

The Nexus 7 also caught up to the iPad Mini in cameras: It now has a built-in rear-facing camera, unlike its predecessor, which only had a front-facing one. Both iPad Mini and new Nexus 7 cameras have the same megapixel counts: 5 megapixels on the rear-facing camera and 1.2 megapixels on the front-facing one. Neither device has a built-in flash.

Nexus 7摄像功能和iPad Mini相当：它的上一代只有前置摄像头，而新款则配备了一枚后置摄像头。像素也和iPad Mini相同：500万像素后置摄像头和120万像素的前置摄像头。两种设备都没有内置闪光灯。

I snapped photos both indoors and outside in the natural light, and found the outdoor images looked better, though the inside ones were adequate.

在自然光情况下，我分别拍摄了室内和室外照片，室外照片看上去更好，但室内的也不差。

I downloaded and watched movies and TV shows on the Nexus 7, admiring its impressively sharp, colorful -- albeit smallish -- screen, which I usually kept in landscape view. Built-in surround-sound speakers placed on both ends of the tablet emulated a six-speaker system, giving it a rich tone.

我用新款Nexus 7下载并观看了电影和电视节目，对它成像清晰、色彩艳丽──虽然有点小──的屏幕印象深刻，我通常保持在横向视图状态。内置在平板电脑两端的环绕声扬声器模仿了六声道系统，赋予了这部机器饱满的音质。

At only 0.64 of a pound, this tablet was lightweight enough to hold for long periods without causing my arm to ache. I also found it easy to prop up on kitchen counters and coffee tables because its back and sides aren't slippery.

这款平板仅重0.64磅（约合0.29千克），因此即使长时间手持这款平板电脑，我的胳膊也不会觉得酸痛。由于它背面以及四周的钝面设计，我发现把它架在厨房台面或者咖啡桌上也很方便。

Google's new Nexus 7 has a lot to offer, if you're looking for a tiny tablet that packs a punch. If you're used to a larger tablet screen, its 7-inch screen size might bug you. But for many people, it will make on-the-go gaming, video watching and reading a delightfully portable experience.

如果你想入手一台兼具诸多功能的小型平板，谷歌全新的Nexus 7能满足你的需求。可如果你用惯了大屏幕的平板电脑，可能就会不习惯Nexus 7的七英寸屏幕。但对于许多人来说，Nexus 7仍然能为游戏、观看视频以及阅读提供一个舒适便捷的体验。