時尚雙語:“網薄” “小”的時尚

Computing: Netbooks are small computers that are cheaper and lighter than full-scale laptops. They have their merits—but do not ask too much of them

計算：網簿是比全尺寸筆記本電腦更廉價、更輕便的小型電腦。它們有自己的優點——不過，別要求太多。

STEVE JOBS says Apple does not know how to make a $500 computer “that’s not a piece of junk”. Yet this article was written on a small computer that costs less than that—and barely a quarter of the price of the Apple iMac that sits on the desk beside it. Small, cheap mini-notebooks like this, or “netbooks” as they have come to be called, are not as fast or as capable as a big computer like an iMac, and in performance terms they trail behind most laptops. But they are certainly not junk, and for some people they may be the best computers money can buy.

史蒂夫·喬布斯表示蘋果造不出500美元的電腦，“電腦又不是一大塊廢銅爛鐵。”然而，本文倒是在一臺小電腦上寫成的，這臺電腦不用花那樣的價錢——它的價格幾乎只有書桌上在它旁邊的蘋果iMac的四分之一。類似這樣小型、廉價的迷你筆記本電腦，或者按照原來的叫法，所謂“網簿”的速度和能力都不如像iMac一樣的大電腦，而且在性能方面，它們也落後於大多數筆記本電腦。但它們肯定不是垃圾，而且對有些人而言，它們可能是金錢可以買到的最佳電腦。

Netbooks are a hot-selling consumer product. The first to appear on the market, a year or so ago, were aimed at children. But now they are proving popular not just with families and first-time computer buyers but also with power users who want something small, lightweight and cheap.

網簿是一類熱銷的消費品。大約一年前第一次在市場上出現，瞄準的是小孩子。不過眼下的市場證明，它們不僅廣受家庭和第一次電腦買主的青睞，而且也受到需要輕巧廉價的高級用戶的歡迎。

They typically have screens measuring seven to ten inches diagonally. They have built-in wireless networking, but lack an optical drive for CDs or DVDs. Some use flash memory for storage instead of a hard disk, which makes them more robust and extends battery life. Netbooks generally cost less than $500. IDC, a market-research firm, reckons worldwide sales of netbooks will reach 10.8m in 2008 and more than 20m in 2009, during which they will represent 11-12% of the entire laptop market.

它們的屏幕對角線長度典型地爲7到10英寸。內置無線聯網功能，可是沒有用於CD或DVD的光驅。有些使用閃存代替硬盤來存儲，這使它們更加堅固耐用並且延長電池的壽命。網簿的價格一般不到500美元。市場調查公司IDC估計，2008年網簿全球銷售量將達到1080萬臺，2009年將超過2000萬臺，在這期間，它們將佔整個筆記本電腦市場的11-12％。
Keep it simple
保持簡單易用

Most current models, including Samsung’s NC10, much of the Asus Eee range, the MSI Wind and the Acer Aspire One, use Intel’s Atom as their central processor. This is the chipmaker’s smallest processor, designed specifically for low-cost and portable devices, not for intensive number-crunching. But because a lot of things that people do with computers, such as e-mail, writing and web browsing, do not require fancy graphics or lots of processing power, netbooks can still be extremely useful.

最流行的型號，包括三星公司的NC10、大部分華碩Eee系列、MSI的Wind和宏基的Aspire One，都採用了英特爾的Atom作爲中央處理器。這是這家芯片製造商最小的處理器，專爲低成本便攜式設備而設計，不適用於密集的數字運算。不過，由於人們使用電腦做的許多事情，例如e-mail、寫作和瀏覽網頁，都不需要花哨的圖形或者大量的計算處理能力，所以，網簿可能還是大有可爲的。

The number of netbooks available is growing as more producers pile into the market (but not Apple—at least, not yet). But if you are buying one, avoid the temptation to get the slickest, most powerful machine available. Much advice on offer online suggests souping up the specification of a netbook so it can run Microsoft’s Windows XP operating system, rather than the free, open-source Linux system that is offered as standard on many netbooks.

隨着更多的廠家（但沒有蘋果——至少還沒有）擠進這一市場，市面上可買到的網簿型號越來越多。不過，要是想買一個，就應該避免這樣的誘惑，即把最光滑、功能最強的機器買到手。許多網上銷售廣告暗示加快制定網簿規範，使其能夠運行微軟的Windows XP操作系統，而不是在許多網簿上作爲標準提出的自由與開源的Linux系統。

Yet increasing the specification only makes sense for people who want to run (and to pay for) Windows and specific Windows-based applications. The extra hardware and software costs start to push the price of a netbook towards that of a standard laptop, which will invariably be better because it has a bigger processor and superior graphics. For many users, the basic, free software shipped with a netbook will be quite enough.

然而，越來越多的規格只對需要運行（並付錢購買）Windows和基於Windows的專用程序的人有意義。附加的軟硬件成本開始把網簿的價格推高到標準筆記本電腦的價格，筆記本電腦總是要好一些，因爲它有更大的處理器和卓越的圖形界面。對於許多用戶來說，與網簿裝在一起交貨的、基本的免費軟件將完全夠用。

The most basic model of the Acer Aspire One can be found for £179 in Britain and around $300 in America. It simply switches on and runs with the minimum of fuss. It has 8 gigabytes (GB) of flash storage and 512 megabytes of RAM, which is a bit puny. But that is perfectly adequate to run the customised version of Linux that comes pre-installed on it, along with a suite of software, including Open Office. With no hard drive, and a switch to turn off the wireless connection (not the fastest in the world), power can be conserved. So a bigger, bulkier battery may not be necessary either, unless you want to use the computer untethered for long periods. Because it boots up in a few seconds, rather than thinking of the Acer as a mini laptop it might make more sense to view it as a beefed-up personal digital assistant, such as an old PalmPilot or Psion, but with a better screen and a proper keyboard.

在英國花179英鎊可以買到大部分宏基Aspire One基本型號，而在美國大約要花300美元。它一開機就可運行，麻煩極少。它有8GB的快閃存儲器和容量稍微少一些的512MB的RAM。但運行預裝的Linux定製版本，連同一套包括Open Office在內的軟件卻完全勝任。網簿沒有硬盤驅動器，有一個轉向無線連接的開關（不是世界上最快的），能節約用電。因此，大一些的笨重電池也就可能沒有必要，除非您想要長時間不插電使用電腦。由於它在幾秒內啓動，所以，與其把這種宏基電腦看作一個迷你筆記本電腦，倒不如把它看作增強型個人數字助理，例如舊式PalmPilot或者Psion，不過有更好的屏幕和適用的鍵盤，這樣纔可能恰如其分。

But what about the lack of storage? Again, the way the machine can be used addresses this problem. First, netbooks are designed to be used with the net, which is where an increasing number of people now store a lot of their stuff, such as e-mail, videos and photos, and where people do other work with online applications. Second, with three USB ports it can always be plugged into devices, such as a portable hard drive, to store things locally. Storage space can also be boosted by plugging a small SD-card flash memory (16GB versions are now widely available) into one of two ports, one of which is designated to act as semi-permanent storage.

但存儲容量不足怎麼辦？這種機器又有辦法可以用來解決這個問題。首先，網簿本來就打算聯網使用，現在，越來越多的人把他們的電子郵件、視頻和照片統統塞進網絡存起來，網絡也是人們應用在線程序做其他工作的地方。其次，三個USB端口總是可以插入像便攜式硬盤驅動器這樣的設備，以便就地存儲各種數據資料。通過把一片SD卡式閃存（現在廣泛使用的各種款式是16GB）插入兩個端口之一，其中一個指定作爲暫時存儲空間，也能夠增加存儲空間。

As for the software, Open Office was surprisingly easy to use—a doddle for anyone who has used Microsoft Office. Moreover, the ability to save work in different formats presented no compatibility problems when sending files to a Windows-based machine. Photo software and other applications were simple to use too. The machine is not up to much for playing games, but then a dedicated games console beats most computers when it comes to games anyway.

至於軟件，Open Office令人驚訝地易於使用——對於用慣微軟Office的人都不費吹灰之力。此外，當把文件發送到基於Windows的機器時，能夠按不同格式保存起來，沒有出現兼容性問題。照片軟件和其他應用程序也簡單易用。這臺機器玩遊戲就不怎麼樣，但另一方面，說到遊戲，一臺專用遊戲機無論如何勝過大多數電腦。

The Acer has a built-in webcam, which makes it ideal for video-calling services such as Skype. Admittedly, installing third-party software can be a bit of a fiddle, and some of the advice available online threatens to lure users into the tangled depths of the Linux undergrowth, where few people will want to venture. But as netbooks become more prevalent, such difficulties are likely to ease.

這種宏基產品內置網絡攝像頭，把它當作如Skype一樣的視頻電話服務是很理想的。誠然，安裝第三方軟件可能略嫌麻煩，而在網上可以找到的一些忠告，似乎將會誘惑用戶深入到纏結在一起的Linux灌木叢，很少有人會在那裏冒險。不過，當網簿越來越流行的時候，這些困難有可能緩解。

The upshot is that netbooks are great as cheap, simple and small computers for performing basic tasks—especially if the pre-installed software does what you want it to. They will never satisfy power users who want to edit video and play elaborate games, but they are not meant to. Provided they do not expect too much, most users will be delighted with them.

結果，網簿因其便宜、簡樸和小巧而成爲執行基本任務的非凡電腦——尤其是，如果預裝軟件正是您想要的。它們將永遠不會使需要編輯視頻並玩精心製作的遊戲的高級用戶滿足，但它們原本就不打算這樣做。如果期望不是過多，大多數用戶都會喜歡上網簿。