Samsung Launches Long-Awaited Galaxy S8

Samsung Launches Long-Awaited Galaxy¹ S8

时间:2017-03-30 07:21来源:未知 作者:voa365 点击: 117 次

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The Samsung Galaxy S8, right, and S8 Plus appear on display after a news conference, Wednesday, March 29, 2017, in New York. The Galaxy S8 features a larger display than its predecessor², the Galaxy S7, and sports a voice assistant intended to rival Siri and Google Assistant. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Samsung has launched its much-awaited new smartphone, the Galaxy S8.

The device was introduced during a media event Wednesday in New York. The launch came after Samsung was forced to recall millions of its troubled Note 7 devices last year.

Samsung’s chief of mobile operations, D.J. Koh, began the event by admitting the company had faced a “challenging” year. One filled with “valuable lessons and hard decisions.” But he said the launch marked an important new beginning.

“Today, I’m excited to show you a new phone that extends our heritage of great innovation and stunning⁴ design.”

Samsung launched two versions of the new phone – the Galaxy S8 (14.7 cm), and the slightly larger Galaxy S8+ (15.75 cm).

The company said one of the most exciting features of the S8s is what it calls the Infinity⁵ Display. This end-to-end design gets rid of a structured edge, resulting in curving on all sides.

The frame has also been reduced on the new phones, giving more room for the display. Also, the S8 does not have a separate home button – a virtual home button is built into the display.

Samsung’s senior vice³ president, Justin Denison, explained the process behind the latest design.

“In other words, we’ve redesigned the smartphone from the inside out – to unbox the screen and unleash⁶ its infinite potential.”

Samsung also gave the world its first look at a new voice assistant named Bixby. The service uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology comparable to offerings by Google, Apple and Microsoft. This allows voice to control many device actions.

The company said users can take photos of books, food or other products and Bixby will automatically search and bring up information on them.

The S8s include a higher quality 8 megapixel camera in front, with a 12 megapixel one in the back. Samsung also launched a new virtual reality camera, called Gear 360, which can support the highest quality video, 4K.

The new phones come with iris⁷ and facial recognition technology that the company says lets users unlock a device just by looking at it.

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ will be available for pre-order beginning March 30 and will begin shipping⁸ to the U.S. on April 21. Prices have not yet been announced.

Samsung issued a worldwide recall of its popular Galaxy Note 7 devices last September after repeated overheating problems. A company investigation⁹ found the overheating was linked to batteries that caused some devices to catch fire.

Samsung stopped production and recalled at least 2.5 million phones worldwide, costing the company at least $5.3 billion.

This week, the company said it plans to sell some refurbished Note 7 phones with new batteries that passed new safety tests. Some parts from recalled devices will also be used in future phones.

The decision came after environmental group Greenpeace and others had urged Samsung to come up with a plan to recycle the troubled devices.

Samsung is still working on plans for how and where the refurbished devices will be sold. But the company said they would not be for sale in the United States or India.

Words in This Story

heritage – n. traditions, beliefs, etc. that are part of a group of nation

innovation – n. new idea device or method

stunning – adj. very attractive, beautiful

curve – n. smooth, rounded, without edges

frame – n. basic structure holding other things inside

virtual – adj. existing on computers or the internet

unleash – v. allow something to happen suddenly or unexpectedly

iris – n. the colored part of your eye

recall – n. – a request by a company for people to return a product because it has a defect or problem

refurbish – v. repair or rebuild

1 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

2 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

5 infinity   

n.无限，无穷，大量

参考例句：

• It is impossible to count up to infinity.不可能数到无穷大。
• Theoretically,a line can extend into infinity.从理论上来说直线可以无限地延伸。

6 unleash   

vt.发泄，发出；解带子放开

参考例句：

• They hope to create allies to unleash against diseases,pests,and invasive species.他们希望创造出一些新群体来对付疾病、害虫和一些有侵害性的物种。
• Changing water levels now at times unleash a miasma of disease from exposed sewage.如今，大坝不时地改变水位，从暴露的污水释放出了疾病瘴气。

7 iris   

n.虹膜，彩虹

参考例句：

• The opening of the iris is called the pupil.虹膜的开口处叫做瞳孔。
• This incredible human eye,complete with retina and iris,can be found in the Maldives.又是在马尔代夫，有这样一只难以置信的眼睛，连视网膜和虹膜都刻画齐全了。

8 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

9 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。