手機(jī)市場(chǎng)擁有一種奇怪的能力，可以把舊產(chǎn)品改造成像新的一樣，所謂的“藍(lán)牙撥號(hào)器(Bluetooth dialer)”就是一個(gè)例子。
據(jù)說(shuō)最近在中國(guó)市場(chǎng)上開(kāi)始流行一種設(shè)計(jì)簡(jiǎn)潔的手機(jī)，外觀很像以前諾基亞(Nokia)的長(zhǎng)條形狀產(chǎn)品。以技術(shù)角度來(lái)看，那其實(shí)不是手機(jī)而是一種叫做“藍(lán)牙撥號(hào)器”的產(chǎn)品，能讓用戶透過(guò)它與包包里笨重的平板電腦或 phablet 鏈接，撥出電話或是接電話。
你可能會(huì)想，這實(shí)在是個(gè)無(wú)聊的產(chǎn)品，而且在技術(shù)上也沒(méi)什么創(chuàng)新，對(duì)吧？但當(dāng)筆者在月初的國(guó)際消費(fèi)性電子展(CES 2014)采訪聯(lián)發(fā)科(MediaTek)總經(jīng)理、談到這種藍(lán)牙撥號(hào)器產(chǎn)品時(shí)，卻被吸引住了，而且忍不住脫口問(wèn)：“你的意思是功能型手機(jī)又回來(lái)了嗎？”
這就是藍(lán)牙撥號(hào)器
Source：米果科技- Shenzhen Migoal TechnologyGJXesmc
藍(lán)牙撥號(hào)器本身沒(méi)有搭載調(diào)制解調(diào)器，只有它并不能打電話；但搭配平板電腦或是phablet來(lái)使用，該產(chǎn)品基本上就是一支功能型手機(jī)(無(wú)論是外觀與使用方式)。
根據(jù)筆者收集到的資料，已經(jīng)有一些創(chuàng)意十足的中國(guó)廠商開(kāi)始為藍(lán)牙撥號(hào)器添加更多功能；而我敢確定將會(huì)看到一個(gè)很搞笑的結(jié)果：原本設(shè)計(jì)精簡(jiǎn)的藍(lán)牙撥號(hào)器恐怕將面臨功能過(guò)剩，變得更有智能甚至更“胖”。
仔細(xì)想想，藍(lán)牙撥號(hào)器這種東西其實(shí)與市場(chǎng)上新崛起的智能手表沒(méi)什么不同，只是看你想把它纏在手腕上還是放進(jìn)襯衫口袋里；畢竟這兩種產(chǎn)品的基本功能就是接電話、打電話、顯示短信或是電子郵件訊息，所以智能手表用的芯片被拿來(lái)用在藍(lán)牙撥號(hào)器里也不難想象。
聯(lián)發(fā)科在CES 期間發(fā)表的Aster系列“多合一”系統(tǒng)芯片(SoC)，就準(zhǔn)備進(jìn)軍新一代藍(lán)牙撥號(hào)器以及智能手表產(chǎn)品。該產(chǎn)品尺寸5.4mm x 6mm，采用ARM7核心，支持藍(lán)牙4.0 /低功耗，內(nèi)建電源管理單元與內(nèi)存(4MB閃存與4MB SRAM)，號(hào)稱是適合可穿戴式電子裝置應(yīng)用“整合度最高、尺寸最小”的SoC。
聯(lián)發(fā)科在CES展示采用Aster單芯片的智能手表
GJXesmc
上圖是聯(lián)發(fā)科展示的一款內(nèi)建Aster單芯片之智能手表原型，而該芯片也可以應(yīng)用在其他各種可穿戴式電子裝置，以及藍(lán)牙撥號(hào)器。
由于Aster也提供完整的Application Framework開(kāi)發(fā)平臺(tái)與聯(lián)發(fā)科Run-time Environment支持，讓使用者能安裝并升級(jí)各種應(yīng)用程序，因此可穿戴式裝置也能輕松執(zhí)行應(yīng)用程序。聯(lián)發(fā)科的一位工程師就展示了智能手表能遠(yuǎn)程遙控智能手機(jī)拍照的功能。
筆者在美國(guó)還不曾聽(tīng)過(guò)藍(lán)牙撥號(hào)器這種產(chǎn)品獲得任何注意，而顯然拿著大尺寸的phablet講電話這件事，對(duì)美國(guó)人來(lái)說(shuō)還是不太能接受；在此同時(shí)，中國(guó)市場(chǎng)不但以驚人速度接受了phablet這個(gè)新產(chǎn)物，甚至創(chuàng)造出對(duì)藍(lán)牙撥號(hào)器的需求。
所以，這是否意味著“減肥”的功能型手機(jī)將卷土重來(lái)呢？你的看法如何？你使用過(guò)藍(lán)牙撥號(hào)器這種產(chǎn)品嗎？歡迎討論！
本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載
編譯：Judith Cheng
參考英文原文：Feature Phones Are Back?，by Junko Yoshida
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Feature Phones Are Back?
Junko Yoshida, Chief International Correspondent
MADISON, Wis. — The mobile market has a strange way of refreshing old products and making them new. A case in point is the so-called Bluetooth dialer.
A sleek handset – strangely resembling Nokia's erstwhile candy bar phone but much skinner – is reportedly getting traction in China.
Technically, this isn't a phone. Called a Bluetooth dialer, it helps a user to dial up or receive a call without whipping out a bulky tablet or phablet from his/her bag.
You think maybe this is a ho-hum product? Technically speaking, there’s nothing new here, right?
Bluetooth dialer for mobile phones
(source: Shenzhen Migoal Technology Co.,Ltd.)
But when MediaTek's president talked about Bluetooth dialers during a one-on-one interview with EE Times at this month's International CES, I confess that I was intrigued. So, I blurted out my question: "You mean feature phones are back?"
Bluetooth dialers don't come with a modem. With just this device, you can't actually dial anybody.
And yet, combined with a phablet or tablet, the Bluetooth dialer assumes all the elements (look and feel, convenience) of a feature phone.
From what I gather, some innovative Chinese OEMs are beginning to add more features to Bluetooth dialers. I'm sure they don’t see the irony: a stripped-down Bluetooth dialer is suffering from feature creep, getting smarter and getting fatter.
But think about it. Bluetooth dialers aren't much different from many of the smart watches that are emerging. The only difference is whether you wear it on your wrist or keep it in your shirt pocket.
Otherwise, such basic functions as answering a call, dialing numbers, and displaying e-mail notifications are already there both in smart watches and Bluetooth dialers. It's not hard to imagine smart-watch SoCs soon being embedded inside a Bluetooth dialer, or vice versa.
MediaTek's new "all-in-one" SoC dubbed Aster, introduced at the CES, could in fact become the driver for both next-generation Bluetooth dialers and smart watches.
Housed in a 5.4mm x 6mm package, Aster is integrated with ARM7 ESJ, Bluetooth 4.0/Bluetooth Low Energy, power management unit and memory (4Mbytes of flash and 4Mbytes of SRAM). MediaTek is pitching it as the "smallest SoC" with "highest integration" for wearables.
MediaTek shows off a smart watch based on the company's Aster wearable SoC at the CES.
A prototype demonstrated by MediaTek came in the shape of a smart watch (shown above). But the chip can be an engine for any wearable device -- or for Bluetooth dialers.
Because Aster provides also a comprehensive Application Framework, MediaTek Run-time Environment, which allows users to install and upgrade apps, it's a snap to run apps on wearable devices, according to MediaTek. One MediaTek representative, demonstrating its smart watch prototype, noted that the smart watch can also remotely trigger a smartphone (or phablet) to take pictures.
I haven't seen or heard of any uptick for Bluetooth dialers in the United States.
But one thing is clear. While we are still debating over here in the United States the usability issue of hand-held phablets, the Chinese market is moving at warp speed to create not only the phablet market but also demand for Bluetooth dialers, which could end up in the resurgence of… well, slimmed down feature phones. Call it back-to-the-futurism.
責(zé)編：Quentin
