NERDINESS 宅樣

字彙

a general air of nerdiness
no particular reason to exist
anytime soon
be off the blocks
startups
discernible interest
niche users
nascent products
wearable devices
headsets
bulky and dorky
wouldn't be keen on having you hanging around
bipedal security camera
to make a case for
real-life application
crop
companion device


文句

Small screens, tiny batteries, a general air of nerdiness and no particular reason to exist: it's never been easy selling smartwatches and it's not going to get any easier anytime soon.

Samsung was first off the blocks this time around with the release of the Galaxy Gear, and has apparently shipped 800,000 of the smartwatch (although it's unclear how many it has sold). But despite plenty of rumours that they're working on rival timepieces, few of the other big players (Google, Apple, or Microsoft in particular) seem especially keen to join the smartwatch race, leaving it to startups, Kickstarter-powered projects and fitness bands to make most of the running.

The real problem with smartwatches is the lack of discernible interest from consumers, outside of niche (mostly sports) users. Of course, if you ask people what they want, it's well known they'll only ever demand a faster horse, so it's always how to gauge how consumer interest in nascent products and technologies will develop...

The same problems (and more) face other wearable devices such as Google Glass-style smartglasses: unless you wear glasses already, you probably won't want such headsets at all. And if you do wear glasses, you probably won't want to wear something so bulky and dorky — or, if you did, your friends, family and colleagues probably wouldn't be keen on having you hanging around looking like a bipedal security camera.

Some have tried to make a case for smartglasses in the workplace, but the real-life applications remain distinctly limited; and, for most use cases (taking or watching videos, for example), a smartphone can already do those jobs very well...

The current or next crop of wearable gadgets are mainly viewed as companion devices...



解釋
a general air of nerdiness  一般很宅的感覺

no particular reason to exist  沒有一定得存在的理由

anytime soon  很快地；隨時（就會發生的事）

be off the blocks  開始某個活動、行動

startups  新公司

discernible interest  能夠識別的興趣，指的是足以引起人們的興趣

niche users  特有的使用者，這裡的 "niche" 不是 "壁龕" 也不是 "舒適的位置"，它作形容詞用，特指與商業有關的小團體或小市場。

nascent products  初期、新興的產品

wearable devices  穿戴式的裝置

headsets  早期特指耳機或聽筒，現在泛指戴在頭上的（電子）裝置，除了耳機外，還可以包括 Google 眼鏡。

bulky and dorky  大塊頭、看起來遲鈍的樣子

wouldn't be keen on having you hanging around  不會有興趣想要與你泡在一起

bipedal security camera  兩腳站立的保安攝影機。形容戴上 Google 眼鏡後，使用者看起來的蠢樣。

to make a case for  給個好理由做某事

real-life application  實際生活上的應用

crop  原意是 "農作物"。這裡指可穿戴的發明物、產品或裝置。 

companion device  附加裝置。指的是加附在主裝置，或與主要貨品綁約的次裝置。