Introducing HànBǎoBāo - Android app for learning Chinese

[ReubenBond]

Hey everyone, I'm hoping to get some feedback on an app I made called HànBǎoBāo.

 

I made it for myself because I found I was constantly switching between WeChat & my translator/dictionary app to look up phrases, delete bits, & try again so I could work out what each word meant & the pinyin for the sentence. I've just flicked the switch to make it free forever.

 

Features:

★ Popup dictionary within any app - lookup words in Chinese or English

★ Floats over other apps, great for WeChat/HelloTalk/HelloPal/Facebook!

★ Clipboard mode - scans copied text for Chinese characters

★ Tap mode - lookup phrases just by tapping them

★ Tap individual words to see their definition

★ Automatic splits sentences into individual words

★ Tap again to split/join words - good for ambiguous sentences

★ HSK level indicators

★ Quick translate using Google Translate, Microsoft Translator

★ Take off the training wheels: Hide pinyin up to a given HSK level to force you to learn the characters. You can still see the Pinyin by tapping on a word

★ Pinyin tone marks & colorization

★ Part-of-speech information

★ Supports Simplified Chinese & Traditional Chinese

 

I very much want to know what you all think. How I can improve it, what you like or don't like, maybe if there's something you really wish existed but just doesn't.

 

Unfortunately it's not available for iOS.

You can grab it from Google Play 

 

[艾墨本]

I can't get apps through google play onto my phone. Would you mind hosting the APK somewhere or sending this to me?

[ReubenBond]

Sure thing, here is a direct link to the APK  Enjoy!

[vellocet]

Does it work in China, or is it one of those apps that relies on Google or other blocked services to function properly? 

 

It reports incompatible with all my devices, including Xiaomi 4 and Hongmi. 

[tiantian]

I really like it! Works like a charm for me (Xiaomi MI 2, Android 5.02 LRX22G). I am currently not in China, though.

 

Only thing I can currently think of:

 

 

★ Take off the training wheels: Hide pinyin up to a given HSK level to force you to learn the characters. You can still see the Pinyin by tapping on a word

 

Could you please add an option to just hide all pinyin? So I can only see it when I tap on a word? That would be really great!

[ReubenBond]

It reports incompatible with all my devices, including Xiaomi 4 and Hongmi. 

I wonder why. It does not require the Internet, it works anywhere. Maybe at some point in the future I will add some features which require the net. Mobile devices are very resource constrained and that requires some compromise.

Very strange that it reports itself as incompatible for your phone, given the Xiaomi 4 comes with "Android" 4.4.3 & HanBaoBao requires only 4.1. I'm looking into it.

 

Could you please add an option to just hide all pinyin? So I can only see it when I tap on a word? That would be really great!

Absolutely! I've added a "Hide all" feature for the next version.

[vellocet]

Both phones are updated to Android 6 by now. 

[ReubenBond]

vellocet, what happens if you try to install the APK directly, using the OneDrive link above?