Geeks and celebrities make unlikely bedfellows but mobile app developers are increasingly looking to pair up with the likes of reality TV star Kim Kardashian as they look for new ways to stand out in an overcrowded marketplace.
极客与名流不大可能成为伙伴，但手机应用开发者为了在过度拥挤的市场上脱颖而出，开始寻求“傍明星”，比如真人秀明星金•卡戴珊(Kim Kardashian)。
Since Apple’s App Store launched in 2008, many of the most popular apps for the iPhone or Google’s Android smartphones have been new franchises such as Angry Birds, Candy Crush Saga or Clash of Clans.
自苹果(Apple)应用商店(App Store)于2008年上线以来，iPhone或谷歌(Google)安卓智能手机上一些最热门的应用，一直是愤怒的小鸟(Angry Birds)、《糖果粉碎传奇》(Candy Crush Saga)，或《部落战争》(Clash of Clans)这类游戏。
But the recent success of games and utilities to which celebrities have lent their name, combined with the growing challenge of getting noticed in the App Store, is prompting more developers to seek new tie-ups with stars.
但最近一些以明星冠名的游戏和工具类应用大获成功，加上在应用商店脱颖而出的难度越来越大，使得更多开发者开始寻求与明星达成合作。
Glu Mobile said last month that its celebrity tie-in game Kim Kardashian: Hollywood had made $1.6m in its first five days on sale. Would-be starlets can buy virtual haircuts, makeovers or kittens as they make their way up the celebrity rankings, with Ms Kardashian acting as their guide to life in the limelight. The game is currently fifth in the iPhone’s US chart of top-grossing apps.
Glu Mobile表示，上月其与卡戴珊合作的手机游戏——《金•卡戴珊：好莱坞》——在上市后的五天里，便赚到了160万美元。有意成为影坛新秀的用户可以通过这款应用购买虚拟的发型、妆容或小宠物，并接受卡戴珊的指导——在镁光灯下怎么表现。目前该游戏在美国iPhone畅销应用排行榜上排第五位。
This week, actor Tom Hanks released a typewriter-style word-processing app for the iPad that immediately shot to the top of the App Store charts in the US.
好莱坞男影星汤姆•汉克斯(Tom Hanks)本月也为iPad发布了一款打字机界面的文字处理应用Hanx Writer，很快就冲上了苹果应用商店排行榜的头名。