With hundreds of thousands of ‘apps’ available, smartphones allow users to do anything from checking their bank balance to booking a flight. But 71 per cent of owners use them simply to make a call, text or check Facebook, research shows. In fact, the study revealed that a typical person exploits only 10 per cent of their phone’s functions.

科技的变革日新月异，手机应用也以秒的速度翻新、翻新、再翻新式的“强奸着”人们的智商与神经。有数据显示，在智能手机市场上，大约71%的普通民众搞不懂“智能为何物”，手拿智能手机却只拿它来：打电话、发短信、再甚者也就是拿它来更新更新微博了。虽然，厂商们“不遗余力”渲染花样翻新的智能手机的N种智能功能，但是事实上，有数据显示，普通用户只能“探索到”智能手机中10%的功能而已。

The survey – of 2,000 users – also found more than half had felt ­pressured to get the latest or most ­popular smartphone, such as Apple’s iPhone4 or a BlackBerry. The devices, which will be the top gadget¹ on Christmas lists this year, are really pocket computers. As well as the capacity for the downloadable programs known as ‘apps’, they can browse² the internet and send and receive emails.

这项调查对象是2000名使用智能手机的用户，调查发现，大型手机厂商比如苹果、蓝莓推出新型机型、或者新型手机应用，50%的民众会感觉“有压力”，而非兴奋.。在圣诞节假日期间，高科技物品，比如智能手机、迷你电脑都属于厂商主推的圣诞主打圣诞礼物。而如今网上充斥着可下载的“眼花缭乱”的手机应用会让老百姓“一头雾水”。所以，民众选择回归原始“大哥大”的用途也不是没有道理。

The research by Envirofone, which recycles mobiles, estimates there are 11million smartphones in the UK. While there are many useful apps offering train information or sat-nav functions, others are bizarre. Jon Butler, of Envirofone, said: ‘The latest phones have become status symbols which look flash but aren’t fully utilised.’

该调查由英国手机回收网站“Envirofone”牵头，统计在英国上千万手机使用者。虽然调查员承认，也不是所有的手机应用都“一无是处”，有一些智能功能的确给人们带来了方便，比如说可以提供火车票信息的手机应用、全球定位系统等等，这些应用贴近生活、容易学习和使用，受到了用户的喜爱。来自回收网站的工作人员Jon Butler说：“花样翻新的智能手机在一定程度上被‘功利化’了，人们拿手机的目的不再是使用它，而是炫耀自身的社会地位。所以大多数的手机应用自‘投产’到‘停产’从未被人们发觉。”