Touch screens are now prevalent enough on mobile devices that I find myself touching the screens of every new gadget I see. My trusty index finger of a stylus is ready to swipe, pinch, double tap and scroll since these are natural gestures.

触摸屏在如今的移动设备中非常普遍，根据我自身的经历，眼前的每种新产品都设置了触摸屏。有了触摸屏，我那可靠的食指就可以像手写笔一样在屏幕上做放大、缩小、双击和滑动的动作，所有这些都不过是它本来就会的动作而已。

Yet touch screens have some downsides. Finger gestures leave smudge marks on screens and monopolize screen real estate, making it hard to show the screen to someone while navigating. Also, touch screens often require two hands.

不过，触摸屏也有一些缺点。手指会在屏幕上留下污痕，而且会挡住屏幕。操作过程当中，你想让别人看屏幕上的内容也会比较困难。此外，操作触摸屏通常需要两手并用。

This week, I tested a smart phone with a solution for two of the three touch-screen problems. The Motorola Backflip (###), which became available March 7, lets people navigate its screen by touching a panel behind it. This trackpad-like panel is appropriately named the Backtrack and works like magic: On-screen objects are selected, text scrolls and screens open, but you can't see the fingers manipulating the screen because they're behind it.

我试用了一款智能手机，在这款手机中，上述三个触摸屏问题中有两个得到了解决。这款手机就是3月7日面世的摩托罗拉Backflip（###）手机。用户可以通过触摸屏幕背后的一个面板来操作屏幕，这个名为Backtrack的面板的确跟笔记本电脑的触摸板很相似，而且有着神奇的效果：在你选取屏幕上的图标、滚动文本、打开新视屏的时候，都不会有手指干扰视线，因为手指是在屏幕后方进行操作的。

The Backflip, which runs on AT&T's 3G network, costs $100 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a two-year agreement. Its name comes from its design: The Backflip's screen seems to flip backward when the QWERTY keyboard flips down for use. In the device's 'closed' position, the keyboard flips back up and is automatically turned off.

Backflip支持AT&T公司的3G网络，在享受了100美元的邮寄退款折扣之后费用为100美元，合同期两年。Backflip（意为"后翻"）这个名字的灵感源自其设计：当你打开手机的标准键盘时，手机的屏幕看起来就是往后翻的样子。当手机处于"闭合"状态时，键盘就会翻回去，而且会自动关闭。

I've been using the Motorola Backflip for emailing, Web browsing, social networking, taking photos and making phone calls. While I applaud its creative design, I think it sacrifices functionality for form. Take its QWERTY keyboard, which has a subtly handsome design when the Backflip is closed. But when used for typing, its shallow keys don't give much tactile feedback and are tough to use. Likewise, the Backtrack is clever, but only works when the phone is the flat, opened position, forcing people to reach around both the keyboard and the screen to use it. I often found myself touching the screen directly, which works.

我用Backflip收发邮件、上网、社交、拍照、打电话。我很认同它极富创意的设计，但也认为它为了形式而牺牲了一些功能。拿键盘为例，设计得很巧妙，手机闭合之后外观很好看，不过那些键都很浅，手感不是很好，也就不是那么好用了。Backtrack面板倒是很好用，但却只有在手机处于平摊状态时才可用，而在这样的情况之下，你不得不用手在键盘和屏幕的背后使用面板。我就发现自己经常直接操作屏幕，用起来也还方便。

I easily set up two email accounts and Twitter and Facebook accounts. There are also shortcuts for setting up accounts for Picasa, Photobucket, Bebo, LastFM and MySpace.

The Backflip runs Motoblur, the company's social-network and message-consolidating software, which I found to be an attractive interface with intelligent capabilities. If it senses you're checking it a lot, it will update the displayed messages more frequently. Motoblur uses images from contacts, like their Facebook or Twitter photo, and displays these as small background icons behind Motoblur messages from that person. This small detail brings an extra spark of life to everyday messages.

我在Backflip手机上设定了两个电邮账户以及Twitter和Facebook账户，都是轻松搞定。此外，设立Picasa、Photobucket、Bebo、LastFM和MySpace账户也都非常地便捷。

Backflip 内置了摩托罗拉公司的Motoblur社交及信息整合软件，我发现这个系统界面很有吸引力，功能也很强大。如果它感觉出你经常查看信息，那么它就会更频繁地更新显示的信息。在相应联系人的Motoblur信息中，系统会把联系人的图像，比如他们的Facebook或Twitter头像，设为很小的背景图标。在每天检索信息时，这个小小细节无疑给每条信息增添了一抹生气。

But Motoblur lacks one of the most popular Twitter functions: the ability to re-tweet, or re-message someone else's tweet (Twitter status). A Motorola representative said re-tweet is under evaluation, but won't disclose details about timing.

Oddly, the Backflip runs the Android 1.5 operating system, not the newest Android 2.1. A Motorola representative said the company plans to update this but wouldn't say when.

不过Motoblur没有Twitter最受欢迎的功能之一："锐推"（re-tweet）功能，即转推别人的tweeter信息。摩托罗拉一位代表声称锐推功能已进入评估阶段，不过没有透露推出该功能的具体时间。

奇怪的是，Backflip运行的是Android 1.5系统，而不是最新的Android 2.1系统。摩托罗拉一位代表声称，公司打算对此进行更新，不过没有透露具体的时间表。

Phone calls were clear and loud, and photos captured on the five-megapixel camera looked great. I enjoyed using the bright, 3.1-inch screen with 320x480 pixel resolution. Though I wasn't crazy about typing on its keyboard, I did like the keyboard shortcut keys for the Web browser, home, email and search. With the Backflip in its opened position, I used the Backtrack -- the trackpad behind the screen -- to skip around from one thing to the next. Double tapping on anything selected it, and I swiped my fingers down on the Backtrack to scroll a long news story on the browser.

打电话的时候，Backflip手机声音很清晰很响亮，500万像素摄像头拍摄的照片效果也很棒。3.1英寸、320x480像素的明亮屏幕深得我心。我不是特别喜欢在其键盘上敲字，不过很喜欢键盘上的网络浏览器、主页、电邮及搜索的快捷键。当Backflip处于开启状态的时候，我会用屏幕背后的 Backtrack面板来进行操作，浏览各种各样的东西。双击选中任一图标之后，我就可以让手指在Backtrack面板上滑动，比较长的新闻报导就会在显示器上滚动显示出来。

The Backflip is designed so that whenever it's plugged into its wall charger or set at a 90-degree angle, it goes into Tabletop mode, showing a large digital clock with the local weather, date and options for setting an alarm. This mode also offers a button for watching the device's photos in a slow-panning, Ken Burns-like slideshow.

在充电或者翻成90度角的时候，Backflip都会进入"桌立"模式。屏幕上会显示一个巨大的电子时钟，还有当地的天气、日期信息。除此之外，你还可以设置闹铃。在这种模式下，你也可以按下某一个按钮，手机内的照片就会在屏幕上缓慢地播放出来，幻灯播放的风格与肯•伯恩斯的纪录片相似。

Monthly AT&T plans that work with the Backflip include a combination of the carrier's required $30 unlimited data plan and a $40, $60 or $70 voice plan. It comes with a 2-gigabyte memory card, though it will work with one that holds up to 32 gigabytes. Its internal memory is 512 megabytes, and the memory available for apps is 220 megabytes, though certain apps can offload some data they use onto the roomier card.

Motorola deserves credit for offering a unique way of moving fingers off of the touch screen. But the Backflip device seems unfinished because of several features that don't work as well as they should.

Backflip用户可以享受AT&T提供的各种每月套餐，其中包括公司推荐的30美元的无限流量上网套餐，也有40、60或70美元不等的通话套餐。Backflip内置2G的存储卡，最大可支持32G的存储卡。内存容量有512兆，应用程序可用内存为220兆。不过，其中的一些应用程序可以将数据转移到空间更大的存储卡上。

摩托罗拉这款手机以其独特的方式，让触摸屏可以不再受手指的直接干扰。不过Backflip显然还不是尽善尽美，因为它有一些功能做得还不够好。

Katherine Boehret

screen [skri:n] n.银幕 vt.遮蔽 (初中词汇)

estate [i´steit] n.财产；庄园；等级 (初中词汇)

solution [sə´lu:ʃən] n.解答；解决；溶解 (初中词汇)

available [ə´veiləbəl] a.可用的；有效的 (初中词汇)

agreement [ə´gri:mənt] n.同意；一致；协议 (初中词汇)

backward [´bækwəd] ad.向后 a.向后的 (初中词汇)

shallow [´ʃæləu] a.肤浅的；表面的 (初中词汇)

likewise [´laikwaiz] ad.同样地；也，又 (初中词汇)

attractive [ə´træktiv] a.有吸引力；诱人的 (初中词汇)

intelligent [in´telidʒənt] a.聪明的；理智的 (初中词汇)

background [´bækgraund] n.背景；经历；幕后 (初中词汇)

ability [ə´biliti] n.(办事)能力；才干 (初中词汇)

system [´sistəm] n.系统，体系，制度 (初中词汇)

resolution [,rezə´lu:ʃən] n.决心；坚决；果断 (初中词汇)

whenever [wen´evə] conj.&ad.无论何时 (初中词汇)

button [´bʌtn] n.钮扣 vt.扣上(扣子) (初中词汇)

combination [,kɔmbi´neiʃən] n.结合；联合；团体 (初中词汇)

device [di´vais] n.装置；器具；策略 (初中词汇)

everyday [´evridei] a.每日的，日常的 (高中词汇)

disclose [dis´kləuz] vt.揭露；透露；泄露 (高中词汇)

internal [in´tə:nl] a.内部的；国内的 (高中词汇)

offering [´ɔfəriŋ] n.提供；礼物；捐献 (高中词汇)

unique [ju:´ni:k] a.唯一的 n.独一无二 (高中词汇)

prevalent [´prevələnt] a.流行的；普遍的 (四级词汇)

touching [´tʌtʃiŋ] a.动人的 prep.提到 (四级词汇)

trusty [´trʌsti] a.可靠的 n.可信任的 (四级词汇)

network [´netwə:k] n.网状物 vt.联播 (四级词汇)

automatically [ɔ:tə´mætikli] ad.自动地；无意识地 (四级词汇)

applaud [ə´plɔ:d] v.鼓掌赞成；称赞 (四级词汇)

creative [kri:´eitiv] a.有创造力的；创作的 (四级词汇)

setting [´setiŋ] n.安装；排字；布景 (四级词汇)

unlimited [ʌn´limitid] a.无限的；过渡的 (四级词汇)

unfinished [´ʌn´finiʃt] a.未完成的，未完工的 (四级词汇)

scroll [skrəul] n.卷轴；纸卷 (六级词汇)

taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (六级词汇)

twitter [´twitə] vi.(鸟)吱吱叫 n.鸟鸣 (六级词汇)

charger [´tʃɑ:dʒə] n.军马；委托者；控诉者 (六级词汇)