新黑莓将是个大杂烩The Patchwork Smartphone

When Research in Motion Ltd. unveiled the prototype of its upcoming BlackBerry last month, two features stole the show -- a predictive touch-screen keyboard and a camera that takes a series of near-instantaneous images for the perfect shot. Research in Motion Ltd.

（简称RIM）上个月公布下一代黑莓(BlackBerry)手机的原型机时，有两个特性最引人注意。一个是具有预见功能的触屏键盘；另一个是照相头可以几乎同时拍摄一系列照片，以从中选取最好的一张。

But unlike with earlier BlackBerry models, RIM didn't design either tool -- it's licensing the technology from two different European developers. In fact, most of the device's critical features are a patchwork of hardware and software obtained quietly through about a dozen acquisitions and multiple licensing deals over the past two years.

ReutersRIM首席执行长海因斯手持一个新黑莓原型机。但和以往的黑莓手机不同，这两种特性都不是RIM设计的。它从欧洲两家不同的开发商那里获得了相关技术的授权。事实上，原型机的多数关键特性都是用过去两年RIM通过十几笔收购和多笔授权交易悄悄取得的硬件和软件拼凑起来的。

The features include the device's interface, which allows a user to navigate through the phone's features, and the operating system itself.

这些特性包括手机的界面和操作系统本身。在其界面上，手机的各项特性可以一目了然。

Buying up or licensing the latest technological gizmo is nothing new in the arms race that has broken out among the world's top smartphone makers. But RIM has taken the strategy farther than most big players, at a crucial time for a company that practically invented the smartphone and once held unrivaled dominance over the market.

在全球主要智能手机厂商之间爆发的竞赛中，收购最新技术或获取新技术授权都不新鲜。但身处关键时刻的RIM对这个策略的运用比其他多数公司都走得更远。RIM实际上可以称为是智能手机的发明者，一度在这个市场上占据不可匹敌的霸主地位。