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Based on some of the early buzz, you'd figure the $299 Samsung Gear smart watch is a downright revolutionary device. On paper, it has several nifty things going for it: a 1.63-inch color display, Google (GOOG) Android, and 70 apps at launch from eBay (EBAY), Evernote, and RunKeeper, among them. It lets users make phone calls, check email, even point and shoot photos and video by holding up your hand. And voice recognition means it's possible to navigate the device touch-free. With all those features going for it, it's easy to let the imagination run wild with far-out hypothetical scenarios where this thing is all but doing the home cooking.
三星（Samsung）售价299美元的Gear智能手表刚一发布，就收到不少好评，但如果你据此认为这是一部革命性的设备，那不妨往下看看。从各项参数来看，Gear亮点颇多：1.63英寸的全彩屏幕、谷歌（Google）Android操作系统、70款首发应用，其中不乏eBay、印象笔记（Evernote）和健身软件RunKeeper等大牌应用。用户可以打电话、查阅电子邮件，甚至手腕一抬就能拍摄照片和视频，而语音识别更是让触摸操作都省了。面对如此繁多的功能，用户很容易浮想联翩，认为小小的Gear是万能的，能够完成生活中所有大小事，但事实并不尽然。
Still, I'm not sold. Here are three easy reasons why:
所以，我并不推荐Gear。以下是三条显而易见的理由。
It doesn't do anything my phone doesn't already do (yet). All right, so the Gear isn't even out. But based on Samsung's announcement, it doesn't do anything my iPhone 5 doesn't already do besides look better strapped to someone's wrist. Most of the 70 apps available on day one are already available for Android and iOS devices. Sure, it might make certain tasks easier -- I like the idea of running without having to pull out my phone -- but there just aren't enough unique use cases for me to even consider splurging on this.
Gear能做的智能手机都能做到。所以，Gear并没有什么独门功夫。相反，三星在发布会上展示的功能我的iPhone 5全能做到，除了这款手表戴在手上比较好看之外。至于发布首日可用的70款应用程序，它们中的绝大部分Android和iOS设备都能下载到。的确，某些场合中手表比较方便——例如我在慢跑时就不用掏出手机了，但光凭这一点还不够，不值得我掏钱。
I don't have a Galaxy Note III. Unless users also have the Galaxy Note III, they aren't going to get the most out of the Gear. Samsung's smart watch must be paired via Bluetooth with the upcoming phone-tablet hybrid, a.k.a. "phablet," to perform many basic tasks. (That may change: Samsung has said the Gear will likely work with other Galaxy phones in the future, though it didn't specify when.) In other words, the watch will only work with a small subset of devices for the foreseeable future. That severely limits its appeal and potential audience. Because in the end, I'd have to spend $300 for the Gear and purchase a Note III. That's too rich for my blood.
Galaxy Note III可不是人人都有。除非每个购买Gear的用户都有一台Galaxy Note III，不然多半是委屈了它。三星的智能手表必须通过蓝牙与三星最新款的平板手机配对，才能运行许多基本功能。（虽然三星表示未来Gear也可能支持Galaxy手机，但具体时间还没有确定。）换句话说，在短期内Gear只能和三星的小部分设备配对，势必大幅降低它的吸引力，也极大地影响了潜在用户。最后一来，我必须花300美元购买Gear，然后还要搭买一台Note III。我可没这么多钱。
I don't love the so-so battery life. According to Samsung, the Gear should go a day in between charges depending on how it's used. That's just average as smart phone battery life goes and disappointing when it comes to so-called smart watches. To compare, the Pebble smart watch lasts up to a week before needing more juice. Sure, the Pebble uses a simpler black and white screen and lacks the bells and whistles of the Gear, but I still expect more out of the latter. I'm OK plugging in my phone before I go to bed each night. But my watch? Not so much.
电池续航差强人意。三星表示，根据使用情况，Gear的续航时间为一天左右。这样的表现和智能手机相差无几，这难道还是所谓的智能手表吗？看看竞争对手，Pebble智能手表的续航时间可是高达一整周。当然，Pebble仅仅配备了一款简单的黑白显示屏，而且也没有Gear那么多花里胡哨的功能，但我还是希望后者的电池能更给力一点。每天晚上睡觉前给手机充电是理所当然的事，但手表也需要吗？
