Mac/iPad/iPhone Flashcards

[Inoc]

Hi, I'm looking for a flashcard program/app that will sync flawlessly across the Mac, iPad, and iPhone. It must also support multiple sides (e.g., simplified, traditional, pinyin, and definition). Alternatively, I suppose I could do without the Mac portion of that equation, since I imagine most of the time I will actually be using the flashcards on the iPad/iPhone, but I do want to be able to create flashcards on the Mac via .csv files and at least have the iPad/iPhone be able to read those and also export the same format. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

[imron]

Pleco. Although it doesn't have a desktop version, you can create your own csv files and import them to the mobile app, and also export existing lists from the app. Plus, it's dictionary based, so flashcard creation in whatever format of front/back is instant. Simply look up the word in the dictionary and then press the 'add to flashcard' button. It also has a bunch of other nifty features that Chinese learners will find useful.

[Inoc]

Thanks for the suggestion, imron! On the other hand, I'm actually looking for a program/app that can be used for more than just the Chinese language, as Chinese is not the only language that I am studying at the moment.

[jbradfor]

Anki

[Inoc]

jbradfor, I've considered using Anki, but then I read the developer's FAQ and I think he says Anki doesn't support multiple sides? I want to be able to review simplified characters, traditional characters, pinyin, and of course definition all at the same time, but it seems that with Anki, I'd only be able to study 2 out of 4 at a time?

[rezaf]

@imron: What if Pleco doesn't have the word?

[imron]

You can create custom entries with your own definitions.

[jbradfor]

with Anki, I'd only be able to study 2 out of 4 at a time?

AFAIK that is true. What you can do is create multiple decks, one for each direction you want to do. The advantage of this approach is that you might not want to do all directions equally (e.g. simplified <-> traditional you'd only want to do the characters that differ), and it makes keeping track of separate stats easier (e.g. character -> def might be easier than def -> characters).

[wedge]

I'm a heavy user of Pleco but not its flashcard function because I found the syncing feature clunky (at least compared to Anki). Is there a smoother syncing method that I don't know about?

[imron]

To be honest I never worry about syncing and just do everything on the one device, which I pretty much always have with me so it's never an issue.

[feng]

Anki technically supports unlimited sides, each "fact" can contain multiple fields, ie simplified, traditional, pinyin, english, bopomofo, etc... then cards are setup to show one or more fields on that side.

Ive been using anki daily for 3 months now and I hate it, I wish I could find something better. My main problem with it is syncing. It regulary doesnt sync properly. If you add/update/review 200 cards on your phone, and the next day forget to sync and do 200 cards on your ipad, then you have to throw away 200 of the updates!

[feihong]

Pleco will support syncing via Apple's cloud soon (if not already). Personally, I don't have a use for it, but given how well the package works as a whole, I'd imagine it's pretty easy to use.

I'm a big fan of Anki, and I'm pretty sure it's flexible enough to do what Inoc wants to do. However, for Chinese flashcards, Pleco's advantage is so great that I don't bother exporting them to Anki anymore. In my experience, it hasn't been a big deal to use two different flashcard programs.

There are a ton of ways in which Pleco's flashcard feature is superior, but the advantages are magnified when your front and back sides are both Chinese.

[Inoc]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I've decided to try Anki out, and it can actually do what I want it to do with the "multiple sides" feature. As feng pointed out, each "fact" offers multiple "fields". I also admit, I think Anki's developer has a point about trying to review multiple pieces of information all at once (simplified, traditional, pinyin, definition), so ironically, after all that insistence on a "multiple sides" feature, it looks like I may just revert back to the good old 2-sided card.

feng, you bring up a very valid point about syncing. I haven't yet decided how I'm going to use Anki across each machine, but considering that I use a laptop, iPad, and iPhone, it would be crippling to not have Anki work smoothly across all 3 machines.

On that note, I personally find the price for the Anki iPhone app (AnkiMobile) to be rather steep - can anyone offer input as to whether it's really worth $25? Considering that there's AnkiWeb (which I haven't tried yet, BTW).

I also noticed that there's another Anki iPhone app available in the Apple store, called iAnki, which is free. Has anyone tried using that and can offer a quick review?

[laurenth]

Hello, I've been using Anki for over 2 years on three (at times four) different platforms: a desktop computer using Windows (sometimes another using Linux), my Android phone (Ankidroid) and the web-based Ankiweb. Of course, you should never forget to sync your work to the web once you are finished studying, and from the web before you start. However, even if you do forget, Anki tells you that there is a discrepancy and asks which version you'd like to keep, so there is a safety net, you should never lose anything.

As I'm forced to study Chinese whenever and whereever I can steal time, this feature is the main selling point of Anki for me. And BTW, why does the Anki app cost money for the iPhone while it's free for Android?? On the other hand, I don't think 25$ is that expensive for such a useful app. I've just bought Pleco for Android (excellent! extremely useful, though still crashy, but it's still a beta version) and it's much more expensive.

[feihong]

I've tried both the official Anki iOS app and the free one (forgot what it's called, but when I was using it, it was only installable on a jailbroken device). After using the free one for a year, I went ahead and bought the $25 app. It has more features and more overall polish. If you think that Pleco's add-on modules are worth the price, then you shouldn't be disappointed with Anki.

I haven't had any issues syncing my Anki deck between multiple devices, but these days I only sync to back it up on the Anki website, I never actually use Anki on my desktop anymore (since I make all my new Chinese flashcards in Pleco now).

[imron]

it would be crippling to not have Anki work smoothly across all 3 machines.

I sort of used to think the same way about Pleco and how it would be great if there was a desktop app to accompany it, and then I realised that actually it's a whole lot easier just to do everything on the one mobile device (and this was back before the iPhone version when it wasn't even with my phone, so it's even simpler now). Anyway, I suspect this won't be nearly as big as a limitation as you imagine.

[feng]

It depends on how you study, I tried to solve the problem by just doing study on my iPhone. The problem with this approach was that I have discovered when I am studying hard words, I like to copy and paste the word to google, find some good sample sentences, and paste it back into the anki card.

This is very easy to do on my Macbook, and while it is technically possible on the iPhone/iPad, its too slow to be practical.

[roddy]

I don't use Anki now, but have done in the past. I did have to grit my teeth when paying for it, but to be honest it's worth it - if anything it's just that all the other apps (many of which I guess have much larger markets) are so cheap. Say you average 15 minutes a day with it for two years (which for some of our members would qualify as light usage) - that's in the region of ten cents per hour of usage.

[OneEye]

My main problem with it is syncing. It regulary doesnt sync properly. If you add/update/review 200 cards on your phone, and the next day forget to sync and do 200 cards on your ipad, then you have to throw away 200 of the updates!

That's not a case of Anki "not syncing properly". It's a case of you not syncing properly. If you forget to sync, it's not the app's fault. Anyway, it only took me once or twice doing that before I learned to sync every time. Although I have pretty much completely moved over to Pleco. It's flexible in different (but more useful for me) ways than Anki is, and both apps are outstanding if you take the time to learn what all they can do.

[feng]

That's not a case of Anki "not syncing properly". It's a case of you not syncing properly. If you forget to sync, it's not the app's fault.

The application does not know how to take two lists of words and merge them based on which words were most recently updated? How is this my fault?

Arguing that a persons forgetfulness is an excuse for an application to not have this functionality is non sensical. Only a computer nerd would take a perspective that human behavior should be dictated by a computer rather than the other way around.

I look forward to the day when applications are designed to help humans rather than humans having to be designed to help computers (: I am sure we will get there, hopefully within my lifetime.