PlecoDict Alliance
lechuan
August 28, 2008, 03:51 AM posted in General DiscussionHave you ever considered forming an alliance with PlecoDict, the most popular chinese/english dictionary available for Palm, Pocket PC, and up-and-coming on the iPhone? It would be very handy to be able to download a vocabulary list from each lesson as PlecoDict Flashcard files.
Since I'm usually on the bus when I'm reviewing vocabulary (no Wi-Fi on the bus), it would be very handy to be able to review the vocabulary off-line.
okstuv
March 31, 2010, 05:48 PMhttp://shop.ebay.com/okstuv/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340
Selling A+ condition Axim Pocket PCs loaded with Pleco 2.0. Great value.
-Turner
frances
August 29, 2008, 12:42 AMPlecoDict 2.0 is now in the almost-release-candidate stage, so it shouldn't be too much longer. It looks like the current beta is far from bug free, but it's getting there. They aren't even trying to make a prediction about a date for the final release, because they have a history of missing dates and getting a hard time as a result.
derShanghainese
August 29, 2008, 08:18 AMI also suggested such a feature a couple of months ago, when they did a survey amongst their users. I really took my time to answer the questions and make some suggestions - however, I never heard a word from them as feedback.
I also wrote them some e-mails some time ago with some questions, which I had - not one single e-mail got a reply.
What ChinesePod really can learn from Mike Love is customer and service mindset!
todded
September 09, 2008, 03:28 PMThis would be a great feature that would add value to the ChinesePod site.
yesacas
September 16, 2008, 04:37 AMPleco is the best, by far, dictionary with hadwriting, flashcard, and other learning tools for a mobile device on the market. Chinesepod is the best online language learning service. Why can't - no why shouldn't - the two work seamlessly together? Give us learners more of a chance&$@#&*##!!
calkins
September 16, 2008, 12:34 PMSee Boran's post above. I think CPod is open to the idea of making a vocab. export feature for Pleco, but they're waiting for Pleco v. 2.0 to be released (still in beta testing).
tvan
September 16, 2008, 12:45 PMDoes Pieco work on iPods? That seems to be the mobile device of choice for most CPod users. Of course, with the iPhone everything is changing.
calkins
September 16, 2008, 12:54 PMtvan, Pleco doesn't work on iPods and I don't believe they ever will...iPods are too "dumb" for a program like this.
Currently, Pleco works on Palm OS and Pocket PC. It doesn't work on iPhones (yet)...I remember reading on the Pleco forum, a few months back, that Pleco is considering a version that would work on the iPhone. That would be smart.
huai_houzi
December 20, 2008, 07:16 AMPleco 2.0 is out...any update on the "Alliance"? If the goal is to help people learn Chinese, I don't see why they wouldn't work together.
First step...make it easy to export Flashcard lists so they can be imported seamlessly into Pleco.
Second step...Allow Premium user content to be exportable to Pleco (esp. Dialogue Transcript and Expansion)
This is too great an idea to push aside!
lechuan
January 05, 2009, 05:56 AMThanks Andrew for the flashcard converter!
Current version of pleco reader uses utf-8 text files.
Pleco 2 for iPhone is currently under development :)
andrew_c
January 06, 2009, 01:56 AMHmm, so just any old utf-8 text file will do? I thought that there would be a specific format to it. I checked this web site, and from the pictures it does indeed look like that's all there is to it.
Unless anyone has any additional information, I guess I'll make it with just the Chinese characters one sentence per line, no English/Pinyin/Bopomofo. It will output two separate documents, one with traditional characters and one simplified.
For whoever is interested, I expect to do it this weekend. I'll post an update with this Pleco document generator in the discussions I linked to above.
lechuan
January 06, 2009, 07:53 PMYeah, it's plain utf-8. They did have a more specific format in development, but decided to hold off on it until a later release.
John
February 12, 2009, 03:14 AMThis post is a bit old, but I'm all for this.
ChinesePod should also support Anki, a great SRS vocab review app.
This change is coming.
coljac
February 12, 2009, 05:11 AM+1 for Pleco support. I stilll have a palm solely for Pleco. Counting the days until the iPhone version is ready.
How does Anki compare to iFlash, say? That's been my flashcard program of choice for a while.
John
February 13, 2009, 01:23 AMcoljac,
Anki is hardcore SRS, but beautifully simplified. I'm not sure how well iFlash supports SRS, but I'm guessing it's not as core to the application as it is to Anki.
user1094
March 02, 2009, 02:31 AMAnother vote here for Pleco. It is radical.
As for iFlash, I use that as a suppliment for Pleco. I actually create sentence cards on iFlash on my Mac (I study sentences a lot...) and export them to both iFlash beta for iPhone, as well as Pleco. The hardcore studying takes place my Pleco unit (a Palm T5)
In both Pleco and iFlash, there is the capability to have multi-sided cards.
Exporting from iFlash to Pleco format is very simple. I just drop the export onto an SD memory card and import on the Palm.
Once Pleco for iPhone and supporting my flashcards, I will go that route.
iFlash on the Mac seems to be quite full featured, but on the iPhone it is still early beta and limited in its capabilities (e.g., cannot frequency or repetition space) I am just using it for sentences so have my own definitions - I do not count on a dictionary to provide definitions like in ZDT. Pronunciation I pull off a great website that converts my Hanzi better than ZDT ever did. Also, the iPhone version of iFlash does not do audio yet, but thats not of primary importance to me.
However, on the Mac, once I build my cards, I put a native speaker in front of them on iFlash and they can read and record all my flashcards for audio training in minutes.
In general, iFlash appears to be the easiest thing to build multisided audiocards. I have used iFlpr, Flashmybrain, etc., and none of them appear to be as easy to throw cards around, recategorize, build, edit, etc. as iFlash (my opinion of course...)
Sue
March 02, 2009, 08:12 PMall Chinese to me, sorry. can I easily download chinesepod vocab to my HP Ipaq for use with Pleco ? can anyone explain the process for an amateur ?
andrew_c
January 04, 2009, 10:01 PMIn case anyone comes across this discussion I just wanted to point out a recently released tool to create Pleco2 flashcards pretty much automatically from ChinesePod lessons. See the following links:
huai_houzi: Regarding the second step you mentioned, what format should the dialogue and expansion sentences be in? (I don't have Pleco). Assuming it's just a text or XML format it would probably be straightforward to add that as well. BTW your username is really funny :-D
lechuan
August 28, 2008, 06:28 AMNot to mention the free advertising from Pleco (and vice versa) that could come from this.