Once upon a time, flip¹ phones were the ultimate status symbol. Whipping out a Motorola StarTAC or a RAZR meant you had made it, that you were, as they said, a 'playah.' Rappers plugged them in bling-laden lyrics². Fashion's Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana touted³ them in ad campaigns. During Hollywood awards season, savvy⁴ publicists tucked them into VIP swag bags.

从前，翻盖手机是社会地位的终极象征。掏出一部摩托罗拉(Motorola) StarTAC或RAZR表示你很行，也就是说如大家所言，你是一个“大玩家”。说唱歌手纷纷把它们写进他们满是“布铃布铃”声音的歌词中。时尚界的多梅尼科・多尔切(Domenico Dolce)与斯特凡诺・嘉班纳(Stefano Gabbana)也在广告宣传中吹捧它们。在好莱坞的颁奖季，精明的公关人员则把它们塞进VIP礼包中。

But ever since Motorola dropped the price of the once-luxury RAZR a year after its 2004 debut⁵ to make it affordable⁶ to a mass market, the luster⁷ of the flip has been fading. Warp⁸ ahead to the 21st century, and these gadgets⁹ now carry social stigmas¹⁰ in most circles. Open a clamshell and the perception is that you are elderly (in need of a giant keypad), poor (on a pay-as-you-go cellular¹¹ plan) or a criminal (see 'Sons of Anarchy,' 'Breaking Bad').

然而，摩托罗拉在RAZR上市一年后下调了这款于2004年发布、曾属奢侈品的手机的价格，以便让普通大众也能买得起它，此后翻盖手机的吸引力便逐渐消退。进入21世纪后，现在这些设备在大多数圈子中都被贴上了社会污名标记。打开一部翻盖手机给人的感受是你年纪大（所以你需要一个大键盘），人穷（使用的是手机预充值计划），或者是个罪犯（参见《混乱之子》(Sons of Anarchy)和《绝命毒师》(Breaking Bad)）。

Yet there might be some battery life left in the flip phone after all. Mega-power players in the worlds of sports, fashion, film and finance still pledge allegiance. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, 24, sports a five-year-old Samsung, while actress Kate Beckinsale, a star of the future-forward 'Total Recall' remake, has professed¹² her love for an LG. Vogue¹³ editor in chief Anna Wintour carries a rudimentary Pantech (in addition to an iPhone). Warren Buffett showed off his Nokia flip to Piers¹⁴ Morgan on CNN ('This is the one Alexander Graham Bell gave me,' Mr. Buffett joked). And Jerry Jones, billionaire owner of the Dallas Cowboys, created a media frenzy¹⁵ when he was 'outed' for brandishing¹⁶ a clamshell. 'I don't have any butt-dialing with that thing,' he explained on 'CBS This Morning.'

尽管如此，翻盖手机或许最终还留存了一些生命力。体育界、时尚界、影视界和金融界的一些超级巨头依然是这种手机的忠实粉丝。印第安纳波利斯小马队(Indianapolis Colts)24岁的四分卫安德鲁・拉克(Andrew Luck)使用的是一部用了五年的三星(Samsung)翻盖手机。翻拍版科幻影片《全面回忆》(Total Recall)的女星凯特・贝金赛尔(Kate Beckinsale)也宣称自己喜欢一部LG的翻盖手机。美国版《Vogue》主编安娜・温图尔(Anna Wintour)也手拿一部基本款Pantech（另一部是iPhone）。沃伦・巴菲特(Warren Buffett)在CNN上节目时向皮尔斯・摩根(Piers Morgan)展示了他的诺基亚(Nokia)翻盖手机（他还开玩笑说：“这是亚历山大・格雷厄姆・贝尔(Alexander Graham Bell)给我的”。）达拉斯牛仔队的亿万富翁老板杰里・琼斯(Jerry Jones)因夸耀一部翻盖手机 “被指过时”，还因此引发了媒体的狂热报道。他在《CBS今早》(CBS This Morning)栏目解释道：“使用这种手机的话，我就不会因为坐到它而拨出电话了。”

In many cases, these cellular stalwarts aren't opting¹⁷ for clamshells out of irony¹⁸ or nostalgia¹⁹. The choice is utilitarian²⁰. 'The flip phone design was created to address many concerns of the consumer at that time: protection, pocketability, voice quality and performance,' said Motorola Mobility²¹ Senior Vice²² President Jim Wicks, who designed the RAZR. 'What is nice about the flip is that it protects the screen, which was and continues to be a top issue for consumers.'

在许多情况下，这些翻盖手机的坚定支持者并不是出于反讽或怀旧心理而选择它们，而是出于对实用性的注重。摩托罗拉移动业务高级副总裁、RAZR的设计者吉姆・威克斯(Jim Wicks)说：“我们设计翻盖手机是为了解决消费者当时众多关心的问题：（屏幕）保护、便携性、音质及性能。翻盖手机的好处是它能保护屏幕，这以前是而且会继续是消费者最关心的问题。”

By certain measures, basic flip phones outperform their smarter brethren. The retro models tend to be more likely to survive exposure to dust and moisture. Battery life is often better (up to 14 days of standby time for the Pantech Breeze III, for example, compared with 10 days for the iPhone 5c, according to their manufacturers). Big-button keypads are easier to dial on than glass. And their microphones sit closer to the mouth, which can result in more intelligible²³ speech.

按某些标准衡量，基础款翻盖手机的表现还超过了智能手机。这些怀旧机型往往更能抵抗住灰尘和潮湿环境。它们的电池续航时间往往也更长（例如，据它们各自的制造商称，Pantech Breeze III的待机时间长达14天，而iPhone 5c只有10天）。带大按钮的键盘也比玻璃屏更容易拨号，而且它们的麦克风距嘴更近，会使通话声音更加清晰。

Carter Hooper, a New Orleans-based advertising²⁴ agency creative director and self-described cellphone aficionado²⁵, holds the original RAZR in especially high regard. 'At long last I could have something that was even remotely like the communicators on 'Star Trek,' ' he said, recalling his initial reaction to the phone. Similarly, Sean Hollister, a senior reporter for the online magazine the Verge²⁶, waxed nostalgic for these devices' trappings. 'There is nothing quite like the physical satisfaction of flipping²⁷ open a phone,' he said. 'There's also the lack of distractions²⁸ when your phone is dumb rather than smart, so that it doesn't annoy you all the time.'

新奥尔良广告公司创意总监、自称手机迷的卡特・胡珀(Carter Hooper)就对最早的RAZR推崇备至。他回忆说自己对这款手机的第一反应是：“我终于能有一点点像《星际迷航》(Star Trek)中的发报机的东西了。”同样地，在线杂志《The Verge》的高级记者肖恩・霍利斯特(Sean Hollister)对这些设备的一些小机关也很是怀念。他说：“打开翻盖手机给身体带来的满足感是其他所有事情所做不到的。如果你的手机不是智能机，你也就少了让你分心的东西，所以它不会一直烦你。”

For the fashion conscious, clamshells also have a certain cachet. Despite the seemingly constant rollout of slightly updated iPhones and Android models, novelty, thy name isn't smartphone. It's a flip that makes you a renegade, an iconoclast²⁹.

对于注重时尚的人，翻盖手机也有令人喜爱的特定品质。尽管iPhone和安卓(Android)似乎在不断推出略有升级的机型，但是新奇，你的名字不是智能手机，而是让你成为反叛者、反主流之人的翻盖手机。

Committing to one these days doesn't require swearing off the Internet. Even the most rudimentary clamshell models -- such as the Samsung Rugby III, the Pantech Breeze III and the LG Revere³⁰ 2 -- offer basic Web connectivity. For those who want it all, there are promising³¹ signs of a clamshell smartphone movement. Samsung recently launched its Android-powered Hennessy (featuring dual³² touch-screens on the inside and out) and W2014 flip phones.

现如今，专注使用翻盖手机并非就要你放弃互联网。即使是最基础的翻盖手机――如三星Rugby III、Pantech的 Breeze III和LG的Revere 2――都能提供基础的联网功能。对于所有功能都想要的人，有充满希望的迹象表明翻盖手机会出现智能化趋势。前不久三星发布了搭载安卓系统的Hennessy手机（配备内外双触屏）和W2014手机。

These Android models are currently aimed at the Chinese market, but there are rumblings of a Stateside launch. 'There will be a place for flip phones in today's world for the foreseeable future,' said Brad Molen, senior mobile editor at the technology website Engadget. 'Flip phones aren't going away -- they're just taking different forms.'

这些安卓机型目前都针对中国市场，但有传言称它们会在美国发布。科技网站Engadget的高级移动资讯编辑布拉德・莫伦(Brad Molen)认为：“在当今世界，翻盖手机在可预见的未来会有一席之地。翻盖手机不会消失――它们只是换上了不同的形式而已。”