Plecodict 1.0 released

[roddy]

Downloading now. The previous Beta release was working fine for me, but it'll be nice to have something finished. This now includes a brand new handwriting recognizer, which is apparently much superior to the previous one (it'll have to be to read my 'calligraphy')

Pleco.com

Roddy

[cellofallon]

I shall be downloading it tonight after work. Looking forward to having such a huge resource in this tiny portable format. Been checking the website out since March when they first said they would be releasing it, enjoy the amusing comments about how htey can't seem to keep to deadlines that they impose on themselves.

Gone are the days of lugging a huge dictionary around! Yeah!

My backpack rejoices

Tracey

[sui.generis]

I downloaded it last night, but since the old oxford works for me, I'm not sure I want to install Pleco yet. I mean it's not beta anymore, but still...

Do you know If I can keep the old oxford on my T|T without any of the files getting overwritten with the PD install? Temporarily so that if I want to change back, I don't risk losing anything.

I'm just downloading the oxford PD free upgrade. I'm hoping they eventually release a comprehensive chinese-chinese dicitonary, and I want to save my money for that.

Thanks to anyone with answers!

[roddy]

I think if you look at Pleco’s own forums, you’ll find a definite answer, but I’m pretty certain that you can run Plecodict and the Oxford concurrently. As for not being sure about using the new software, I’ve been running Plecodict with almost no problems since the first beta release and have had no major issues. If you plan to buy it, I’d buy it now – you won’t gain anything by waiting.

Agree on a comprehensive C-C dictionary, that’s what a lot of people are keen to have.

[sui.generis]

I'm not so much worried about the software being bad, but perhaps being buggy on my T|T. Which palm do you have?

[roddy]

I’m currently running Pleco on a T5, although I’ve also run it on a T3 with no issues. The T5 has been slightly more problematic, but the last beta was fine, and presumably 1.0 will be fine too (not yet installed it).

[in_lab]

Tell us how the free add-on dictionaries are working. My beta 3 is working, and I don't want to mess it up. I love the dictionary, but with the new handwriting recognizer taking up another 2.1 mb, it's a real memory hog. And I have no idea how much memory the add on dictionaries take. I might have to do without the recognizer, which would be a shame.

[in_lab]

Regarding a comprehensive Chinese-Chinese dictionary, usually "comprehensive" and easy-to-understand are mutually exclusive. But I haven't consulted many huge chinese dictionaries, so maybe there are exceptions.

[beirne]

Do you know If I can keep the old oxford on my T|T without any of the files getting overwritten with the PD install? Temporarily so that if I want to change back, I don't risk losing anything.

I ran both on my T3 when Plecodict came out for testing. I removed the old Oxford Dictionary fairly early because Plecodict did what I wanted in the early betas. Both worked fine on the same unit, though. Note that that doesn't include flashcards, which I'm not interested in. My girlfriend still has both versionns on her PDA. The big thing I liked was the new dictionaries. I never open a paper dictionary anymore because they put my favorite ones into my T3.

[sui.generis]

Thanks for the info.

I don't normally install 1.0 programs--case-in-point, they've already announced an upcoming 1.01 release. But since my midterms are over, I think I'll extract my flashcards and plop it on my palm this weekend and give a test run. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

[roddy]

Is anyone else finding the new handwriting recognition software really good? I seem to be able to scrawl even really complex characters very quickly and roughly, and still have it recognised.

[sui.generis]

Is anyone else finding the new handwriting recognition software really good? I seem to be able to scrawl even really complex characters very quickly and roughly, and still have it recognised.

I don't intend to buy a dictionary unless they release something ch-ch, so I don't have it yet. But just the other day, someone was using my old oxford, asked if it could understand "running writing", and I said no, because it depended on stroke counts for recognition, and then he went on to jot multi stroke chars with one or two drags, and it recognized them with the first char in the list. I wasn't aware it could do that.

[roddy]

Pleco have just sent round an email announcing the 1.0.1 Release of Plecodict, which mentions a Pocket PC release in September.

we're fairly confident that we'll have some version of

this available by September 1st. Worst-case, it might not include flashcards

and custom dictionary entries until a subsequent release (much like with the

Preview versions of PlecoDict on Palm), but barring total disaster we should

have something pretty usable available by September.

I'm off to look at prices of Pocket PCs . . .

There's also some hints on what's in Plecodict 1.1

probably a few major new

features, such as audio pronunciation of words, new dictionaries (we're

finally making progress on licensing a Chinese-to-Chinese one), and some

things that are noticeably lacking in PlecoDict 1.0 like a file management

system and a revamped flashcard list editor screen.

and some mouth-watering stuff for 2.0

Mainly, though, we'll be looking to fill in the features that other programs

have but PlecoDict doesn't, such as a document reader, stroke order

diagrams, and component-based character searches.

No release dates or guarantees for this stuff though.

Roddy

[sfr@rcn.com]

Roddy--I want to thank you for suggesting PlecoDict. I bought a used Clié and turned it into a dedicated PlecoDict gadget. It seems to me that a long time ago (a couple of years??), you recommended their Oxford dictionary product but I wasn't interested because I'm a confirmed PPC user and didn't want to deal with that dinky Palm OS again.

Thanks,

Sandra

[sui.generis]

Wow. I finally installed the new plecodict on my T|T. I haven't toyed with all the functionality yet, but man does it look nice compared to its predessor.

[sfr@rcn.com]

Not bad, huh? The handwriting recognition is amazing. It even recognizes my writing, which is unreadable in four writing systems (Roman, Hebrew/Yiddish, Cyrillic and Hanzi). Also, the flashcards are the best I've found for Chinese. Stackz is more powerful but too awkward to use.

The PPC beta is supposed to be out soon. I'm one of many who can't wait--PlecoDict will have many improvements because the Windows Mobile platform will permit them. I'm now using a new Palm LifeDrive--a very nice device based on an operating system that's about as agile as the terra cotta soldiers at xi'an. BTW, some people were concerned that PlecoDict wouldn't work well on the LifeDrive. It is a trifle slow (but not as slow as on the old Clié I started out with.

Sandra

[sfr@rcn.com]

I haven't logged on for a while, but, since I first heard about PlecoDict on this forum, I thought I should return the favor by reporting on PlecoDict for PPC. I used it on a clie and then a life drive for months, but the PPC version was worth the wait. (Now that the wait is over.) I'm using beta 1 and find it extremely stable (moreso than the Palm version), more attractive and easier to read. It does all I need from a PPC Chinese app except provide non-PlecoDict input abilities. At least one of the dictionaries always has the word I'm looking for (English or Chinese) and the flashcards work quickly and easily--plus, with a little fiddling, I add phrases and even whole sentences. The handwriting recognition has yet to fail me and my handwriting in Chinese is even worse than it is in English.

The only thing I miss is an easy way to add phrases and sentences to the user's dictionary or flashcards. My workaround involves copying parts of each phrase, then finding the next part in a dictionary and inserting the previous phrase before it, then copying it to a new user entry. Takes a little too long.

This is the best thing to happen to my Chinese studies since I found my now-long-time teacher.

Sandra