Wenlin and Pleco
antony73
May 22, 2009, 12:56 PM posted in General DiscussionWhat are the major differences between these two products, Wenlin and Pleco?
Pleco is mobile and Wenlin is for computers, and the price, Wenlin $199/£125 Pleco $99.95/£62.50. I've been using the trial versions of each for a few weeks and Wenlin seems more informative regarding Characters, though it's difficult to get a proper comparisson without actualy purchasing both. Any users with experiance on the difference would be much appretiated.
Zhaoyang
December 26, 2009, 06:23 AMOn this *exact* topic, sometime between Tue Sep 06, 2005 3:05 pm and now, my decision was to buy Wenlin, and it has served me well.
zhenlijiang
May 25, 2009, 10:07 AMcalkins, they maybe should think about paying you for all the valuable/effective/yet-uncompensated marketing you give them on Cpod, not for any free marketing--right? If you've given it away they're not going to pay!
(sorry sorry sorry--I just had to take a break off work. am leaving right now.)
antony73
May 25, 2009, 11:22 AM@John @Calkins
Thanks for that. I think I may be tempted to go for Wenlin though, I'm more of a study at home kind of person.
For mobile use I have recently been experimenting with WM-Dict dictionary and FullRecall incremental flash card program. WM-Dict is free for both mobile and desktop and FullRecall is free for mobile use only. Both programs work together, which makes it easy to create flashcards. WM-Dict isn't that detailed and not in the same league as Pleco or Wenlin, but it is free, and has some interesting words not found in others.
lechuan
May 25, 2009, 11:50 PMOne thing to consider is the dictionaries available. Especially in the Chinese-Chinese department as you advance. For the price of wenlin, you could load up on quite a few more dictionaries with the pleco solution.
calkins
May 26, 2009, 12:14 AMAntony, one thing I forgot to mention about Pleco. They are planning a desktop version. I don't know when, but that could be a deciding factor. Shoot them an email...their customer service is really great and they'll get back to you ASAP.
zhenlijiang :) That's probably one of the reasons why I'm not a rich man!
lechuan
May 26, 2009, 11:46 PMOne more thing, In a future release Pleco will be incorporating Wenlin's character breakdown data:
http://www.plecoforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1761
Tal
May 27, 2009, 01:04 AMWhen that happens then Wenlin will be pretty much redundant and superfluous.
As things stand right now Pleco scores higher than Wenlin on just about every count. (I have both of them, been using Wenlin for a few years and am kind of attached to it!) In Wenlin you can draw/write a character you don't know and the software will try to recognize it, BUT it's rather clunky and often disappoints. Pleco on the other hand never does.
Wenlin tries to provide an audio guide to pronunciation. But, it's not very good. Pleco's is a mere whisker away from being excellent.
If there ever is a desktop PC version of Pleco with all of Wenlin's wonderful background info about Chinese characters, then I will say goodbye to Wenlin, tearfully. (j/k!)
calkins
May 27, 2009, 05:33 AMRaygo, those are really great points. I also think Pleco's hand-writing recognition tool is superior. Even compared to MDBG's new recognition tool, Pleco's is much more intuitive. Plus, when using a stylus (as oppossed to a mouse), it feels much more natural.
And speaking of pronunciation, the newly added audio tool in Pleco is a major bonus. It's so important to be able to hear a native Chinese speaking the vocabulary when going through flashcards (you can set the voice to a man's or woman's!). I can't stress how much that has helped my spoken Chinese.
eupnea63355
May 27, 2009, 06:02 PMcalkins et. al.
Because I want to start using Pleco, I am this close (holding thumb and forefinger almost touching) to buying the iPAQ 210. I have personal negative experience with HP and also the negative reviews on amazon tell me I am not alone. Still, it seems to be the best for me as I want a big screen and I don't want the phone function. I'm hoping I will be lucky and my ipaq will not have any problems, as I do not believe they will stand behind their product.
If you or anyone experienced could comment I'd so much appreciate it. 1. Is the HP a good choice, assuming it will not break in a week like some have written. 2. I am buying this thing to run PLECO. Any other function might be frosting on the cake, but I will use it for pleco pleco pleco. What bundle should I buy? They are listed on http://www.pleco.com/pricing.html
I want to buy the best pleco combo right up front, as I am an older person, studying to make up for lost time. I hope you guys can comment. I know there have been other threads on this but my computer does not load all of the graphics and I cannot find the search window!
antony, sorry to hijack your thread but the new thread area does not load on this laptop, either. - eup
calkins
May 25, 2009, 09:23 AMFor me, the biggest and most important difference is that Pleco is portable. IMO, by far the best portable dictionary, flashcard, and hanzi recognition tool out there.
There is no limit to where you can use Pleco - on public transit, in the park, in the restroom ;), and just about anywhere when you have a free moment.
When I'm sitting at my computer, I find that I have too many learning resources at my fingertips. This can be overwhelming. When I'm out and about, there's only Pleco, and it never disappoints.
I swear, these guys need to start paying me for all the free marketing I give them on Cpod!
lechuan
May 27, 2009, 07:38 PM @eupnea63355, I've used a iPaq210 for the past 8 months (mainly got it for Pleco) and have had no problems so far. I really like the high resolution on it. I also have a 16GB SD card and Pocketmusic (which has a really good playlist editor and an equalizer, among other things), which lets me store a whole bunch of chinesepod pdf and mp3 for listening on the go.
I recommend the following combo combo is the ABC+NWP+Tuttle+21C+Guifan (reason: ABC: C-E scope, pinyin; NWP: E-C pinyin, Tuttle: C-E pinyin, example sentences, 21C: E-C scope, Guifan; C-C).
21C+Guifan don't have pinyin, but even if you can't read characters yet, you can still send the 21C+Guifan to the Document reader which will pinyin/define the chinese characters.
sfrrr
May 27, 2009, 11:17 PMPleco + CPod = all I need for studying Chinese. And without PlecoDict, I would be lost. I need to have all my dictionaries and learning resources with me not matter when or where I am. Since my iPAQ 211 (yes, iPAQ 211, no problems during this past year of very heavy use) is always in my pocket, I don't need to leave my favorite dictionaries spotted around the house. I can look up zheng4zhi4 at midnight without even turning on the light. Until PD came along, I was a devoted user of Wenlin, and I wish it well. But PD gives me almost as much character info as Wenlin and if they add Wenlin character info, PD will be close to perfect.
Now, if I could get WLCP working smoothly on my iPAQ 211...right now it's the only thing I use my laptop for.
Tal
May 28, 2009, 12:11 AMI can be a tad contrary at times about the latest gadgets (no idea what an iPAQ 211 is for example.)
I bought a Palm TX (about a year ago) solely to run Pleco and I still have no regrets. The Palm TX is on the way out now of course, but I believe it's possible to pick them up for bargain prices, so if anyone's looking to save cash, it might be worth considering. You'd probably need at least a 1GB expansion card to help run the new Pleco though.
eupnea63355
May 28, 2009, 11:13 AMraygo, I am going to keep that Palm TX in mind, should the opportunity present itself to pick one up at a bargain price, but still plan on the HP for my main box. I would welcome the opportunity to educate myself on the Palm OS, truly, another opportunity to expand the brain. Also, it would be a second toy to perhaps accomodate my sometimes crazy busy lifestyle.
lechuan I appreciate your recommendations both for the dictionaries and the music player. I never thought of editing playlists, but of course now I realize that would be very important. I love that the Pleco folks develop their product specifically for learning Chinese. How lucky can we be?
sfrrr, yes, Pleco and CPod, that's what I imagine is all I need as well. You gave me a chuckle. I have big tote bags placed strategically - in my car, in my offices and workplaces, in my tractor (yes, in my tractor) and what's in them? Dictionaries! And magnifying glasses, of course. Also little bright lights and a set or two of homemade flashcards, definitely reading glasses and a spiral notebook. I can imagine that if the iPAQ doesn't fit in my pocket I will buy some kind of holster for it.
Thank you all for your truly valued input.
antony73
May 29, 2009, 07:41 PMI've just bought Pleco. The reason is that it appears to be so future proof, and no doubt will replace Wenlin in time to come.
Character history is great on Wenlin and I like the feel of it, but listening to all your comments, I'll go with Pleco for now and see what the desktop version is like when that gets released.
Thank you to everybody for your informative help. Especially Calkins, this isn't the time you've help me regarding Pleco, thanks mate!
p.s. the animations are far far better than I expected. Not only stroke order but stroke direction. Fantastic.
lechuan
June 18, 2009, 12:35 AM@Antony73,
Pleco 2 just had a price drop and since you just bought it, you should be able to get a refund on the price difference if you contact them. More info here:
http://www.plecoforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1799
3. New "Complete" Bundle
Thanks to an amendment to another one of our dictionary licenses, we're now able to offer every single 2.0 dictionary together in a single bundle, something that a restriction in that license prevented us from doing before now. This new "Complete" bundle costs $199.95 and includes all 8 of our current dictionaries, and it's available along with the other bundles in our online store. It does not automatically entitle you to any new dictionaries we might release in the future, however.
If you've recently purchased a brand new copy of Pleco 2.0 with another bundle and wish you'd bought this one instead, send us a note and we'll be happy to try to work something out to let you switch. We've also just lowered the price of the Basic bundle from $70 to $60, and added the NWP dictionary to the Linguist bundle, so if you've purchased either of those bundles recently and would like a credit for the price difference / additional dictionary, let us know; we've already done this automatically for all Basic / Linguist orders placed in June.
eupnea63355
June 21, 2009, 01:52 AMJust an update - I did get the new full package for Pleco and the iPAQ 211. Twice, that is, as the first iPAQ died on the second day. I did not let HP trap me into the return-for-repair cycle, but returned the box and re-purchased one. Thank you Wal-Mart! Pleco is just too good to be true. I haven't lugged a dictionary around at all since I purchased it, and it's much easier to read than a dictionary. Two tasks to still work on are 1. trying to export vocab to that xml file - never worked with xml files, and it opens up in IE with a bunch of extra text... and 2. exporting vocab through WLCP. Those will have to be worked out later.
Yes, everything lechuan said about the dictionaries is true. It's such a pleasure to see a character, say, on a sign or someone's T-shirt, just copy it in to the recognizer, and see the meaning. Pure joy!
chanelle77
June 21, 2009, 06:43 AMA few months ago I bought the Pleco Professional bundle. And a few days ago I recieved the e-mail about the update and new complete bundle (and the option to change your mind if you rather bought the new bundle). There are some changes in the new version: one of them being a larger character writing square.
The new bundle contains all their dictionairies and sounded to me like a fantastic deal. I mailed them and after 1 response and withing 12 hours or so everything was taken care of.
This company sets an example what customer service should be like. Needless to say:I am very happy with my new dictionaries :-)
antony73
May 27, 2009, 06:12 PM@Calkins
I sent Pleco an email as you suggested. Michael Love said that an apha version of the desktop Pleco should be available a few months after the iphone version is released.
From yours and others comments, it does seem like
Pleco is probably the way to go in terms of being future proof.
John
May 25, 2009, 09:11 AMantony73,
The difference that tends to matter the most is platform. Pleco is available for Windows Mobile (and formerly Palm), whereas Wenlin is a desktop app for PC or Mac. (Also, rumor has it that Pleco will release a new verion for the iPhone.)
Both are excellent dictionaries with lots of cool lookup features.