ChinesePod iPad app released

jennyzhu

We started with the first iPad version which is what the next version that supports iPhone will be based on. It's a complete overhaul of the current iPhone version. It will take about 2.5 months to build and test the app. Then off to Apple for review. I'd be really excited to use the new one.

bababardwan

trying some other video lessons doesn't work either. Pressing the download button ...this message keeps flashing up briefly [too brief to capture all the details] but something about "expected status code"...and them some numbers and letters.

Also, doesn't look like you get the discussion tab either. I'm a little less likely to post from an iPad ...but it would be nice for brief comments...and also it would be nice to be able to read others comments. Will this be introduced in an update?

jennyzhu

Thank you for your feedback! You can filter level in "Library" on top right. There are no discussion and exercise in the app since the focus of the app is to help people get easy access to lessons and manage them. Like most apps, the features & functions on the app are not exactly the same as those on the site. It's about leveraging difference devices to perform what they are best at, i.e. convenience and mobility. The app can't play video content because our Academic Management System doesn't support that to iPad, a legacy problem when the infrastructure was built 7 years ago where there were no tablets and smartphones.

bababardwan

buyongxie Jenny.

"You can filter level in "Library" on top right"

..sure, yeah, I saw that...but I meant for the extra channels like news and features, qing wen, deng deng. I might have missed it though.

hehe, it might be best to have the ipad without the distraction of the community...time for serious learning, hehe.

re video, ok, no biggie, but will it be possible in future? ..video on iphone not so great anyway, but on ipad it's awesome. Anyhow, maybe you can't answer an IT question like that at this stage, but it would be nice in the future, but I'm just getting greedy, hehe.

Cheers Jenny :)

jennyzhu

This is the first version. Always room for improvement.

bababardwan

Jenny, it really is great though. There are lots of positives I haven't mentioned above. To start with, downloading and login went perfectly ...swift, easy and without a hitch. It's what I'd call very "clean" ...it's very easy to use, intuitive, and without distractions. I like the dialogue tab options....the drill down and the translation toggle for each line. And it's all working perfectly. Great job !!

What I'd be most interested in is this. For both this app and the upcoming iphone version, to make them truly mobile, will they be able to download via 3G? I think I have commented on this before in relation to previous apps, but I don't recall if this was ever discussed in relation to this new app [but my memory is a little hazy on this....I don't know where that thread would be now to double check, so please forgive me if we are going over old territory...anyway, if we are, things may have changed since then, so an update on the situation there would be nice.] I don't have 3G with my ipad [so can't test it at the moment], but I do with my iphone, and besides, I could always connect my ipad to a mobile hotspot.

Thanks again :)

he2xu4

I am able to download lessons via 3G/cell radio on the iPhone app. I would think that the iPad app doesn't discriminate - as long as there is an internet connection, it would download.

bababardwan

oh, thanks mate..that's good to know. It wasn't the case originally with the old iphone app...originally you could only download content via wifi.

chris

This would be especially helpful for those in the Transcripts with Tal group. I have to resort to using WMP or similar, since as you say, the slider is not at all accurate. Hexu, could you let me know the name of the app you currently use on your laptop that you mentioned above? Is it better than WMP?

bababardwan

yes, great suggestion. I'll 3rd this. I recently noticed on the iphone you can cycle back 30secs, but yeah, those sliders are wildly inaccurate on iphone.

he2xu4

Chris

I'm using VLC. It's more of a video player but it has 4 hotkeys for jumping back, 4 forward. It has a simple interface. I looked into transcription software and other audio players. All not a good fit. It's surprising someone hasn't written something. I'm looking for the Mac though. Not so sure about Windows.

he2xu4

Bababardwan,

I've been using podcast apps for a long time. Most of them have special buttons for skipping commercials, so I expect to have some kind of decent quick jump in any audio player for spoken audio. Some hav customizable jumps.

bababardwan

he2xu4,

"4 hotkeys for jumping back, 4 forward"

..great tip...thanks. I have vlc player but haven't used it for podcasts.I'll have to check it out.

"2, 4, 6, 8 seconds"

..was this the default or your customisable jumps? I love the idea of customisable jumps.

"Most of them have special buttons for skipping commercials"

..I would like this for youtube clips [don't need it for podcasts]...any suggestions?