三星要造帶有鏡頭,閃光燈和透明大屏幕的相機

Samsung Electronics' camera ambitions are far from over. A patent filing registered earlier this month with Korean authorities shows that the company has been toying with a new tool for its cameras: transparent displays.

三星電子(Samsung Electronics)在相機領域的追求遠未止步。3月份在韓國有關部門登記的專利申請文件顯示，這家公司在考慮爲它的相機增加一個新工具：透明屏幕。

'This design is of a digital camera using a transparent display that allows the person taking the photo and the subject of the photo-shoot to look at each other and have direct eye-contact for photo shooting,' according to the filing reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

《華爾街日報》看到的申請文件說：“這個設計是一款採用透明屏幕的數碼相機，使照片拍攝者和拍攝對象能夠爲了拍照而相互對視、直接做眼神接觸。”

The device, as seen in the diagram, comes with a body that resembles a compact camera rather than more professionally used digital single-lens reflex cameras that have much bigger image sensors and multiple lens options.

如示意圖所示，這款設備的機身像一個緊湊型相機，而不是用途更專業、影像傳感器大很多、可以選擇多種鏡頭的數字單反相機。

The main body will simply have a 'wide' transparent display with lens and flashes and it will have a power button on one side, the filing said. No dimensions were given.

申請文件說，主體部分將只是一個帶有鏡頭和閃光燈的大面積透明屏幕，其中一側將有一個電源按鈕。文件沒有透露尺寸信息。

Despite a bleak outlook for digital cameras in general due to the advent of smartphones, Samsung has long been trying to crack this market -- one of the few areas where Japanese electronics makers still rule -- as the company gropes for a new growth engine in every aspect it can from its vast lineup of electronics products.

三星利用其龐大的數字產品陣容在各個方面搜尋着新的增長引擎。雖然由於智能手機誕生，數碼相機總體上前景黯淡，但三星一直希望打進數碼相機市場。這個市場是少數幾個仍被日本電子生產商把持的領域之一。

Samsung is the world's No. 1 maker of smartphones, TVs and memory chips, but has seen earnings growth slow significantly in recent quarters with its key mobile unit losing momentum amid a saturating market.

三星是世界上最大的智能手機、電視機和存儲芯片生產商，但隨着手機市場趨於飽和、導致其至關重要的手機部門失去了動力，它近幾個季度的利潤增長明顯放緩。

Through its camera unit, the company has been experimenting with various ideas, starting with the integration of Wi-Fi into its cameras and going as far as mashing compact cameras together with smartphones to create a hybrid model, currently dubbed the Galaxy Zoom phone. Samsung recently merged its camera division into the mobile unit and does not break out any earnings results for cameras.

三星一直在通過它的相機部門試驗各種各樣的創意，先是將Wi-Fi整合進相機當中，一直到將緊湊相機同智能手機拼在一起，構成一款目前名爲“Galaxy Zoom”的混合產品。三星前不久將其相機部門併入手機部門，不單獨公佈相機產品的業績。

It remains unclear how consumers can benefit from using transparent displays while taking photos. The design may remain a concept or evolve into something totally different by the time the product reaches customers, as is the case with many of these patent filings.

目前尚不清楚消費者拍攝照片的時候透明屏幕是否會很給力。這種設計可能還只是一個概念，也可能會在產品面世的時候進化成某種完全不同的東西（很多這類專利都是如此）。

Samsung continues to market its cameras using technologically feasible ones first. The company punched out a 'mini' version of its NX mirror-less camera series on Tuesday at a presser in Seoul where the company's marketing executive for mobile products, Lee Young-hee, was present, surrounded by super models.

三星仍然首推其技術可行的相機。該公司3月份在首爾舉辦發佈會，推出NX無鏡頭相機系列的“迷你”版，移動產品營銷負責人李永熙(Lee Young-hee)在超模簇擁下出席。

As she promoted the company's new 'NX mini' camera to the audience, she asked for volunteers who would like to take a group-selfie with her, emphasizing how taking selfies together is a new trend just like how Ellen DeGeneres did during the Oscar Awards. Taking group-selfies, or 'wefies' as she puts it, will be a new cultural trend.

在向現場觀衆推銷新款“NX mini”相機的時候，她請人自告奮勇上臺跟她一起自拍，強調集體自拍已經成爲新時尚，就像艾倫・德傑尼勒斯(Ellen DeGeneres)在奧斯卡晚會上的自拍一樣。她稱爲“我們拍”(wefie)的集體自拍將成爲新的文化時尚。

'This camera is made for wefies,' she says.

她說：“這款相機就是爲‘我們拍’打造的。”