科技前沿:谷歌新款Nexus7 平價平板之王

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.

尺寸仍然重要嗎？就在一年前，谷歌(Google)推出了Nexus 7。這款售價為199美元的迷你平板電腦，對蘋果公司(Apple)螢幕更大、價格更高的iPad構成了真正的威脅。三個月後，蘋果推出了小型平板電腦iPad Mini予以還擊，雖然329美元的價格對於很多人來說並不“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推出一年之後，谷歌釋出了它的新版本。這款平板配備了更強大的功能，價格小幅上漲至229美元。

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

這款全新的Nexus 7從7月30日開始登入各大銷售平臺，包括百思買(Best Buy)、沃爾瑪(Wal-Mart)和亞馬遜(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.

經過一週的測試，我發現自己深深愛上了這款堅固、優雅、反應靈敏的裝置；而它的生產商過去主要是以其強大的搜尋業務著稱。

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最大的差別在於螢幕：新款Nexus的解析度高達1920 x 1200，每英寸323畫素；而iPad Mini的螢幕解析度僅為1024 x 768，每英寸163畫素。並且Nexus 7也更為輕便。

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.

那麼新款Nexus 7有什麼劣勢呢？首先，七英寸的螢幕相比iPad Mini接近八英寸的螢幕要小一些。儘管一英寸的差異並不顯著，不過很多智慧手機的螢幕都已經超過五英寸了，這就讓Nexus 7看起來更像一部手機而不是平板電腦。

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，在我的測試中，新款Nexus 7電池的續航能力比較平庸。在相同的測試條件下，iPad Mini的電量可以維持10小時27分鐘，第一代Nexus 7為10小時44分鐘，而新款Nexus 7的續航時間僅有六個小時。谷歌聲稱其新款Nexus 7的電池可以維持超過九個小時，但它們的測試是在飛航模式（沒有網路連線）、螢幕亮度44%的設定下播放視訊。而我是一直開著無線網路並把亮度調到75%來播放視訊的。

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.

這款全新迷你平板電腦有兩種版本可選：16G的價格229美元，32G的售價269美元，均為Wi-Fi版本。而內建Verizon、AT＆T或T-Mobile公司LTE 網路的型號，將會在未來的數週內推出，記憶體32G，售價為349美元。與之相比，蘋果的iPad Mini有Wi-Fi和LTE兩種型號，根據記憶體（16G、32G和64 G）的不同，價格從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的作業系統是谷歌公司“果凍豆(Jelly Bean)”作業系統的最新版本──安卓(Android) 4.3。雖然相對於去年十月釋出的“果凍豆”系統並不算一次主要升級，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.

一個特色是“限制檔案(Restricted Profiles)”。不同於單純地在同一部平板電腦上創立多個賬號，“限制檔案”能夠讓使用者提前設定一些應用程式和內容的訪問限制。為了測試這項功能，我在“設定-使用者-新增使用者或檔案”裡，創立了一個叫做“假裝小孩(Pretend Kiddo)”的賬號。然後我看了一遍裝置上的應用程式列表，並根據我想讓“假裝小孩”這個賬號能夠登入的具體程式來設定登入限制。一些應用程式清晰標明瞭“這款應用程式能夠登入您的賬號”，因此，你可以很容易地知道究竟應該要開啟還是關掉它。

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.

建立一個“限制檔案”需要主賬戶使用鎖屏程式，這樣其他沒有完整許可權的使用者就不能登入某些程式。除了設定“限制檔案”的登入許可權，個別應用程式的設定，例如程式內購買和年齡限制也可以調整。

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.

另外一個新的特色就是通過谷歌遊戲中心(Google Play Games)，使用者可以和朋友們在遊戲中對抗並記錄成績。這和蘋果iOS系統的遊戲中心(Game Center)功能類似。

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攝像功能和iPad Mini相當：它的上一代只有前置攝像頭，而新款則配備了一枚後置攝像頭。畫素也和iPad Mini相同：500萬畫素後置攝像頭和120萬畫素的前置攝像頭。兩種裝置都沒有內建閃光燈。

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

在自然光情況下，我分別拍攝了室內和室外照片，室外照片看上去更好，但室內的也不差。

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下載並觀看了電影和電視節目，對它成像清晰、色彩豔麗──雖然有點小──的螢幕印象深刻，我通常保持在橫向檢視狀態。內建在平板電腦兩端的環繞聲揚聲器模仿了六聲道系統，賦予了這部機器飽滿的音質。

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.

這款平板僅重0.64磅（約合0.29千克），因此即使長時間手持這款平板電腦，我的胳膊也不會覺得痠痛。由於它背面以及四周的鈍面設計，我發現把它架在廚房檯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.

如果你想入手一臺兼具諸多功能的小型平板，谷歌全新的Nexus 7能滿足你的需求。可如果你用慣了大螢幕的平板電腦，可能就會不習慣Nexus 7的七英寸螢幕。但對於許多人來說，Nexus 7仍然能為遊戲、觀看視訊以及閱讀提供一個舒適便捷的體驗。