I plan to buy a PDA or a PocketPC (is there a difference ?) to learn Chinese.
The main idea is to create lists of vocabulary with Excel that I can keep with me when I’m going around.
The main issues are:
-Is it possible to have a device with an English interface that can also recognise Chinese characters ?
-If so, is it possible to use them in Excel mobile ?
-Will those Excel files be compatible with WinXP ?
-Is there a dictionary software English/Chinese and inverse for those devices?
-What kind of device would you recommend ?
I tried to get some information at some small shops, but I don’t think I made myself clear…
Thanks in advance for your help.
Wiloo.
BTW, this forum is great for people who just arrived there!
Thanks again.
Hi. I use a Palm OS PDA. There has traditionally been more Chinese learning and dictionary software available for this format, though the balance is shifting.
[quote=“wiloo82”]-Is there a dictionary software English/Chinese and inverse for those devices?[/quote]Yes, and you don’t need a Chinese language OS: pleco.com/products.html
You might want to rethink your Excel idea. Supermemo, available for Palm and for Pocket PC, is a brilliant way to learn characters (or any chunks of information for that matter) and keep them fresh in useable memory. supermemo.com/
You do need a Chinese OS for this, though. The one I use and most people use for Palm is this: dyts.com/en/index.html
As for Pocket PC, I’m not sure about aftermarket add-on Chinese OS’s. There must be some. Of course, Pocket PC PDAs bought here will have Chinese OS as standard, but they might not have dual OS’s with English.
I think I’ll go for a Palm then, even though I wasn’t expecting to use a PalmOS.
Thanks.
ps: that sure was a fast answer![/quote]
I just ordered my Palm a few days ago. :bouncy:
After reading all the comments on forumosa raving about Supermemo and pleco on a PDA, I figured that was the way to go. I even looked at miltownkid’s Palm last weekend and got a final explanation of the software and hardware and I’m certain it will help.
If you go to the Palm website and click on their factory outlet link (I learned that from mucha man, who did the same), you’ll find you can get a really good deal. I got a used (open box) and slightly blemished Palm Zire 31 for less than US$100. Supposedly they go through rigorous testing before reselling them.
The only difficulty is they require a US shipping address and billing address (address of your credit card). So, I used my US visa card and had it shipped to my mom who will send it to me.
I got an Acer N30 a couple of months ago. I bought it at a shop called PDAKing on Ba De Rd near the now gone Gwang Hwa computer market. It cost NT$7000 new with a leather case, English OS and a program that the shop installed to allow me to input Chinese characters.
I haven’t used it to read or study chinese, but I downloaded a podcast from (of all places) the Hess website which has useful Chinese phrases. As I travel a lot for work, this comes in quite handy.
I think I’ll go for a Palm then, even though I wasn’t expecting to use a PalmOS.
Thanks.
ps: that sure was a fast answer![/quote]
I just ordered my Palm a few days ago. :bouncy:
After reading all the comments on forumosa raving about Supermemo and pleco on a PDA, I figured that was the way to go. I even looked at miltownkid’s Palm last weekend and got a final explanation of the software and hardware and I’m certain it will help.
If you go to the Palm website and click on their factory outlet link (I learned that from Muzha man, who did the same), you’ll find you can get a really good deal. I got a used (open box) and slightly blemished Palm Zire 31 for less than US$100. Supposedly they go through rigorous testing before reselling them.
The only difficulty is they require a US shipping address and billing address (address of your credit card). So, I used my US visa card and had it shipped to my mom who will send it to me. [/quote]I know you’ve ordered yours now but for others who might be interested, there’s a site called pdaking.com.tw that does a cash on delivery service. I haven’t look recently but I think they have the LifeDrive and maybe some Zires. They definitely have Treo 650 smartphones, which I strongly recommend, even for poeple who may not think they need a smartphone. I have the previous model, the Treo 600, and the reason I use the dictionary and vocab test programs so often is that they are in my phone. When I had a separate PDA and cellphone I always found it a hassle to take the PDA with me. Also, with this kind of smartphone it keeps all your contacts in one place and automatically synchronised to your computer. None of that annoying business of copying phone numbers from your phone to your PDA or to your computer.
I finally bought a Palm TX near Zongxiao Xinsheng Station, in one of those small shops.
It comes with the chinese OS, wich is a good thing because it is possible to have an english interface while using “CJKOS”, a software which recognise chinese (simple and traditionnal), japanese and korean…
There is also a dictionnary (it’s written on the box), but I haven’t found it yet.
Supermemo seems great, but I wonder where you found your database ?
Did you make it by yourself ? If so, how did you achieve that ?
Thanks anyway for the precedent tips, I think they will really be usefull.
I finally bought a Palm TX near Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station, in one of those small shops.
It comes with the Chinese OS, wich is a good thing because it is possible to have an English interface while using “CJKOS”, a software which recognise Chinese (simple and traditionnal), Japanese and Korean…
There is also a dictionnary (it’s written on the box), but I haven’t found it yet.
Supermemo seems great, but I wonder where you found your database ?
Did you make it by yourself ? If so, how did you achieve that ?
Thanks anyway for the precedent tips, I think they will really be usefull.
Bye.[/quote]It’s really worth paying for the Pleco software. The software itself is great and you have the choice of any one or all of three major dictionary databases (the price varies depending on which you choose, but I think you can start with one and pay to add another dictionary in later).
I make my own Supermemo database. There are two advantages. One is that I can choose exactly what info I want on the cards. I do it in some depth, putting quite a few example usages, as well as all the major pronuncations for each character. The other advantage is that selecting and keying in the info seems to help me remember it.
But I think miltownkid might be able to help you if you want pre-made Supermemo databases.
i want to start using pleco’s flashcard system on my pocket pc to help with my chinese, but cant get the blasted chinese characters to show up
i downloaded CE-star but still didn’t work?
i have a ipaq 2410 with windows mobile 2003 if that is useful
does anyone use this with a windows-based pocket pc? is it simple to use? i am useless with technology and starting to think paper flashcards might be easier for me
[quote=“Mugatu”]i want to start using pleco’s flashcard system on my pocket pc to help with my Chinese, but can’t get the blasted Chinese characters to show up
i downloaded CE-star but still didn’t work?
i have a ipaq 2410 with windows mobile 2003 if that is useful
does anyone use this with a windows-based pocket pc? is it simple to use? i am useless with technology and starting to think paper flashcards might be easier for me[/quote]
So software required that you install certain fonts along with the main application. The help page might help you on this one.
