????微軟（Microsoft）的幸運之處在于，Windows Phone 8的推介會沒有安排在颶風桑迪肆虐的紐約舉行。但這并不意味著其最新款手機操作系統的前景一片光明。

????科技巨頭微軟正拼盡全力，試圖重新主導不斷變化的計算機市場。如今，這個市場上唱主角的不再是PC機，而是平板電腦和智能手機。微軟在本周一上午舉行的發布會上公布了若干新手機功能，但沒有公布任何此前尚未發布的新款手機。不過，最令人印象深刻的還是微軟在吸引開發者方面所取得的進展。Windows Phone 8將搭載經過優化的新版Facebook、Twitter及潘多拉（Pandora）等應用。而《神廟逃亡》（Temple Run）、《憤怒的小鳥》（Angry Birds）、Urban Spoon和LivingSocial等大受歡迎的應用也將首次亮相。微軟表示，Windows Phone應用程序商店已擁有12萬應用，最受歡迎的前 50款應用程序中，有46款都可以在微軟應用程序商店找到。

????微軟Windows Phone項目經理喬?貝爾菲奧里在周一的活動中稱：“這對我們而言是一個巨大的進展?！?/p>

????不少即將上市的Windows Phone 8手機，例如諾基亞（Nokia）的Lumia系列，已經收獲了不少積極評價。相比于其它智能手機，Windows Phone 8的用戶界面令人耳目一新。不過，缺少足夠的應用程序仍是不爭的事實。雖然微軟承諾更多應用程序即將上市，但許多開發者都坦言對最新款的Windows Phone系統仍持“觀望態度”。 Windows Phone 8目前的應用程序數為12萬，與蘋果（Apple）iPhone高達70萬的應用數相比，仍然相去甚遠。

????Windows Phone 8還帶來了一系列新功能：個性化鎖屏界面，可以在鎖屏時顯示Facebook通知；磁貼界面將提供更多的個性化選項，此外，還有“兒童中心”，家長可以專門為孩子定制智能手機。諾基亞（Nokia）、宏達電（HTC）和三星（Samsung）的Windows Phone 8手機將在接下來幾個月陸續上市。

????不過，微軟投下重注的不僅僅是智能手機。全新的Windows 8戰略橫跨PC、平板電腦和手機三大平臺，將向用戶提供一致的、以磁貼界面和應用程序驅動為中心的體驗。圖片和文檔能在三大平臺上隨時同步，用戶將獲得“天衣無縫的”體驗。

????毫無疑問，微軟目前已經到了性命攸關的時刻。它孤注一擲，豪賭消費者們將在其所有個人設備上安裝新的Windows 8系統。微軟首席執行官史蒂夫?鮑爾默在參加公司發布會時稱，看到微軟零售店前排起的長龍時，自己非?！罢駣^”。調研機構弗雷斯特研究公司（Forrester Research）稱，雖然微軟到2016年時仍能占據90%的PC市場份額，但預計它在智能手機市場僅能占據14%的銷售份額。當然，微軟一定會不遺余力地推廣Windows 8：例如重金招攬開發者為其開發應用程序、耗費巨資進行廣告推廣活動。

????鮑爾默許諾說：“Windows 8、Surface和Windows Phone 8推廣期間，不論是觀看電視還是翻閱雜志，肯定都會看到Microsoft Windows的廣告。”

????譯者：項航

????Lucky for Microsoft, its Windows Phone 8 launch event was not scheduled for stormy New York. But that doesn't mean prospects for the latest version of its mobile operating system aren't cloudy.

????The tech giant is throwing all its weight behind new efforts to reclaim dominance in the changing computing market, where tablets and smartphones -- not PCs -- rule. At its launch event on Monday morning, Microsoft (MSFT) unveiled several new mobile features, but no phones that hadn't already been announced. Most impressive though, was the progress Microsoft has made with getting more developers on board. Windows Phone 8 will come with new, optimized Facebook (FB), Twitter and Pandora (P) apps. For the first time, it will also feature popular apps like Temple Run, Angry Birds, Urban Spoon and LivingSocial. According to the company, 46 of the top 50 apps will be available on its app store, which now has a total 120,000 apps.

????"That's huge progress for us," said Joe Belfiore, manager of Microsoft's Windows Phone program, at Monday's event.

????Some of the upcoming Windows Phone 8 devices, like Nokia's (NOK) Lumia line of phones, have received decent reviews, and the operating system's interface offers a different approach to the look and feel of most smartphones. But Microsoft has been criticized for its lack of mobile applications. The new apps are promising, but many developers say they are still taking a "wait and see approach" with the latest version of Windows Phone. And 120,000 is still a far cry from the 700,000 apps found on Apple's (AAPL) iPhones.

????Other new Windows Phone 8 features include a personalized lock screen that shows Facebook notifications, more personalization options for its "tile" interface and "Kid's Corner," a child-friendly mode for smartphones. Devices that run on Windows Phone 8, made by Nokia, HTC and Samsung, will be launching over the next few weeks.

????But Microsoft's big bet isn't just on smartphones. Its new, Windows 8 strategy encompasses PCs, tablets and phones, which will all have a similar, tiles and app-centric feel. Photos and documents will sync across all three platforms, giving users a "connected experience."

????It's clear the company has a lot at stake, and is making a gamble on consumers embracing the new platform across all of their personal devices. Chief executive officer Steve Ballmer, who also took the stage at the company's launch event, said he is "heartened" to see the lines at Microsoft stores. But while Microsoft will still own nearly 90% of the PC market in 2016, it is expected to take in just 14% of smartphone sales by that year, according to analyst firm Forrester Research (FORR). Still, there's no doubt Microsoft will do whatever it takes -- paying developers to create apps for its platform, and shelling out millions of dollars on an aggressive ad campaign, for example -- to get some momentum behind Windows 8.

????"Between Windows 8, Surface and Windows Phone 8," Ballmer promised, "you won't be able to turn on a TV or open a magazine withough seeing a Microsoft Windows ad."