plecodict vs casio

[randall_flagg]

Hi there!

I did a search and read many helpful posts. But the answer to the questions that have been depriving me of sleep for months now have not been settled (note: I AM exaggerating).

I need a dictionary I can carry around with me, since I’m out and about a lot when I travel. I do not have a PDA/Palm/Pocket-Computer, whatever you call it. So, what do y’all think? Are PDA dictionaries better than the electronic dictionaries?

A few must have’s are:

- Chinese – English

- English – Chinese

- Modern words!

- I must be able to look up the words using the component/radical/stroke-count system (NOT just pinyin)

- I need fantizi as well as jiantizi

- It must have character recognition so that I can just draw the character onto the display and then look it up.

- Chinese – Chinese would be nice

- English – English would be nice

- Flash cards would be nice

- A friend of mine from Taiwan has quite a fancy one, that even includes an encyclopaedia. That would be awesome, but itfs not a must have (I would buy that one, except for the fact that it does not have the character recognition)

I know that this will be quite expensive, but I’m willing to spend some money on a spiffy thing like that. Like I said, I do not have a PDA, but if you recommend that, heck, I’ll buy one.

I am going to be in China (Kunming) starting August 16, so I’d like to make a decision before that. Why? That’s easy! Cuz I think I’d want to buy the PDA in my home town, just to be sure… we have a two year warranty where I live! Or is it really a LOT cheaper in China and I would be saving a HECK of a lot of money if I bought in China? I was looking at the Tungsten E2, what a nifty lil’ thingy! The electronic dictionary I would be buying in China, of course. One last question: If I were to buy a PDA, would I be able to buy dictionary applications in China and use them right away? Or would I have to download them somewhere in a Chinese internet café?

I would really, really like to have a very good dictionary with me on this trip and as well as for my future studies!

As you can tell from this confused post, I need help!

Thank you so much,

Randall

[roddy]

Few thoughts.

I think most people will agree that the ABC dictionary is a very good choice for students of Chinese. This isn't available on any electronic dictionaries, just Plecodict and the PC program Wenlin. This, plus the fact that a PDA gives you a whole load of other functions - document reading, mp3, maybe web and email - means that I am a big PDA fan in this case. I initially got my PDA just for Plecodict, but now use it daily for music, reading, etc, alongside the dictionary and flashcards.

Plecodict, when you have the ABC+NWP bundle, will give you everything you want except the monolingual dictionaries - there's talk of them licensing a Chinese-Chinese dictionary, but I don't know how that is progressing - and the encyclopedia.

I've never used an electronic dictionary, so can't really comment on how they compare - but having Plecodict, I feel no need to try anything else. The only two things I would want from it are an integrated document reader / processor, and most of all a good Ch-Ch dictionary.

Roddy

[hughitt1]

I was looking into portable electronic dictionaries a little while back after seeing that my friends dictionary was actually pretty good, so i did some research and found that Besta seemed to have the best electronic dictionaries in taiwan.

I sent an email over to them to see which one would be good, and asked two questions;

1. 哪一種機型有最多中英詞彙?

2. 有沒有一個是詞彙很多,又是夠小可以放在口袋裡的?

they then sent me a very lovely reply:

親愛的 keith 您好:

感謝您對無敵科技產品的愛護與支持，關於您來函詢問事宜，在此向您說明：目前無敵機款詞彙最多者為CD-816PRO,收入近百萬字庫，若您需求主機體積不希望太大者，您可參考CD-56機款,此機款收入字彙約有68萬字庫，但仍建議您可直接至無敵網站參考比較，無敵網址：www.besta.com.tw 感謝您的來信，如您仍有任何疑問，歡迎您來電客服中心，客服專線為: (02)8797-5111或隨時來函客服信箱，我們將竭誠地為您服務，謝謝!

無敵科技客服中心 謹啟

In the end i didn't end up getting a dictionary because i've just been using computer alot, but i still think besta would not be a bad way to go : ) check out the cd-816 pro at http://www.besta.com.tw/product/contents.asp?Location=ProductList/ProductPhoto&SequenceNo=286

Goodluck

[randall_flagg]

ok, i guess you got me sold on the handheld (wanted one anyway, guess i was just looking for a good excuse to buy one...)

but how do I get the plecodict on it? do i buy this or download it ? if i have to buy it the sofware, do i want to buy it in China? how then will i get it onto the PDA without my desktop computer??

thanks, i'm all excited about going shopping as soon as i got your answers

randall

btw, this site is awesome, it's just what i've been looking for!

[roddy]

You can only get Plecodict from pleco.com - you should find the customer service is excellent, and they run their own forums.

If I remember correctly you can download it and install and run it as a demo version. Then when you pay they email you the codes to unlock the full version.

Word of advice. When choosing a PDA don't just look at what the minimum you need for Plecodict is - you are going to be carrying this thing around with you every day, and it might well be worth spending a bit more for more features.

If you buy a Palm PDA in China you get (or at least I did) the Chinese display / input software CJKOS and PenPower as standard. Buying outside of China you wouldn't get these. Plecodict doesn't need them, but if you want to do stuff like read and edit Chinese documents, you'll need them.

I'm not sure how easy installing plecodict from an internet cafe would be - you would probably need to install the palm software to the computer to HotSync the files on - you might need to persuade someone to let you do that.

If I was in your situation I think I'd buy it all while still at home, then get a chance to get used to it before arriving in China and having to use it in anger . . .

Roddy

[randall_flagg]

Thanks, roddy! Very helpful indeed. I'm just a little shocked how much the plecodict is, but I guess I'll buy it anyway. Looks quite nice.

I will buy the Tungsten E2 this afternoon.

And: One more question. You say I would NOT be able to view or edit Chinese documents if I don't have a Chinese system? Boy, that would stink!

[roddy]

Have a look at how much the paper versions of the ABC and NWP dictionaries would cost you alone, then add in the fact that you get handwriting recognition, much faster look-up, a pretty nifty flashcard program and portability - it's a chunk of cash, sure, but I do think you get value for money.

If you get an English language OS Palm, then it won't handle Chinese documents. However, getting hold of the program CJKOS will allow you to read documents and input using pinyin. PenPower will give you handwriting input for Chinese.

When I bought a Palm in China it was still English OS, but had these two programs installed already. I'm not sure if there are Chinese OS versions.

Roddy

[randall_flagg]

Roddy, you are awesome! Thanks for all your advice.

I know that I'll be getting A LOT out of the plecodict, but unfortunately, costs are really starting to add up.

I'll have to buy the CJKOS, PenPower, Plecodict AND a PDA, so I am looking at a LOT of money, almost as much as a cheap plane ticket to China!

My heart is bleeding, but I think I won't be able to buy this thing after all? But mayhap I'll find a cheaper one in Chin? Or maybe I'll find the Tungsten E2 I was looking at that has the CJKOS and PenPower installed arleady? That would save me some money to start with.

Thanks.

[roddy]

Couple of things

First, and you are going to hate me for saying this, but one feature that's really useful on a palm you are going to use for Plecodict a lot is a bigger screen - T3 / T5 are the two I can think of, but they are at the high end of the range. Not sure if there's anything cheaper.

Secondly, I'm pretty sure if you get the PDA in China it'll come with CJKOS and PenPower. this site has the E2 at just under 2000Y, I'm not sure how that compares.

You don't need to buy the CJKOS and PenPower straight off. Plecodict will function fine without it. You will only need the extra software if you want to read / edit Chinese in other applications. This might be something you can put off for a while.

Finally, and depending on how much of a rush you are in, there's a Pocket PC version of Plecodict on the way - check their site to see if there's an actual release date. This will greatly increase the number of PDAs you can consider.

Roddy

[perjp]

randall_flag, I wrote the original review of the Casio, so I thought I'd throw in a few comments on the differences between the casio dictionary and plecodict. Since you've already bought a palm with plecodict, I suppose this is not so interesting anymore, but still...

- Chinese – English

The dictionaries in plecodict and casio are both huge. I suppose the king of C-E dictionaries is still the ABC dictionary, though.

- English – Chinese

The weakest part of both products. I tend to prefer the one on the casio, but pinyin in examples is nice to have in plecodict.

- Modern words!

Haven't really researched this enough to give a good answer.

- I must be able to look up the words using the component/radical/stroke-count system (NOT just pinyin)

Yes for both. For plecodict you also get handwritten input of course, which is excellent.

- I need fantizi as well as jiantizi

Plecodict can be switched to fantizi mode, so that both headings and body text are in fantizi. The Casio is jiantizi-only for body text, but shows the fantizi equivalent for the headings.

- It must have character recognition so that I can just draw the character onto the display and then look it up.

Only plecodict

- Chinese – Chinese would be nice

This is the the one place where plecodict disappoints. No Chinese-Chinese at all. The Casio has a huge xiandai hanyu cidian.

- English – English would be nice

Only on the Casio, and only in the Chinese-English model (not in the Chinese-English-Japanese one).

- Flash cards would be nice

Only plecodict.

[in_lab]

Installing at an internet cafe can be a hassle, but it's possible. You have to install palm desktop onto the PC, so you either have to download it from the internet, or install by CD. But 90% of internet cafe computers don't have CD drives, so it may take some looking.

Then you need to find an outlet to plug in the palm cradle. Sometimes the outlets are hidden, but you can usually just unplug the speakers and use that outlet. My experience is that no one cares if you install software on their computers, because they all have something like deepfreeze that will erase your data after rebooting.