Purchacing a perdy PDA

[Hanakuso]

This is my first ever post on this forum... Yoroshikuuu.

I ran a forum search on this topic and the last discussion was a bit outta date so... Can anyone reccomend a good PDA to be mainly used as a kanji dictionary?
I wanna be able to just write down the kanji and find the meaning... might also use it with a fold up keyboard to type up lecture notes.. There might be other stuff that i dont know about but as long as it helps me learn Japanese i wont feel guilty shelling out for it.. (please bare in mind I am a povo student tho :P ).

any sugguestions?

[Hanakuso]

purchasing even...

[Neo-Rio]

Personally, I'm using a Sharp Zaurus CL-3000. It has built in translation software (but not a full fledged kanji dictionary though) may not be exactly what you desire though, but since it functions like a word processor, you can always do kouhou and convert between kanji and hiragana.

It has it's own keyboard and touchscreen as well as a 4GB hard drive built in. Software includes all the usual things you'd expect to find (calendar, address book, web browser, mail, database, etc.) , and if you are inclined you can install extra goodies as well (it's a Linux PDA). It has good compatibility with Word and Excel documents. Plays music and video like an iPod too. Not to mention that it also DOOM runs at a reasonable speed :P

There is a cheaper version of the device without a Hard drive CL-1000 I think. Cheaper and you can always load it with a 2GB SD card (which I think is actually better than getting the hard drive version)

[Charles]

I was surprised at how the Zaurus dictionaries have changed since the time I bought mine. IMHO the old b&w models seem better suited as dictionaries, especially kanji dictionaries.

I personally would buy a single-function electronic dictionary with pen input, rather than a PDA, if I primarily wanted a dictionary. If you want to take class notes, use paper, it's far more flexible.

BTW, I put up some scans of the old Zaurus dictionary functions on my Dictionary Comparison website, it is years out of date but will give you some background on PDA dictionary features. The Zaurus link is the second in the list on the left side.

[Hanakuso]

http://padict.sourceforge.net/v0.3.3/index.html#features ...

would you be able to install that software onto it? does anyone know what the pda at the top of that page is, and whether itd be any good?

Yeh id probably get by with a black and white.. I just need something that will be capable of handling the software.. Basically this is an alternative to buying one of those fat kanji dictionaries..

Another thing I noticed bout the Zaurus is that id need a transformer for the power supply thing... I should have mentioned im currently in Australia... I would still be able to get a Pda thru friends from Japan tho..

[Charles]

http://padict.sourceforge.net/v0.3.3/index.html#features ...

Two thumbs down. Avoid the PADict. It uses pen input, but just kana by tapping. You can't draw kanji or kana. If you're going to get something that lame, you might as well just get a regular English PDA with a keyboard and install some EJDICT front-end, or just get a web-connection and use WWWJDIC.

Pen input is what makes the Zaurus so great, you can draw kanji, kana, or roman characters. Kanji pen input is absolutely crucial.

It appears that all the manufacturers have revamped their electronic dictionaries since I last checked them out a couple years ago. Back then, everyone sold dicts in a PDA form factor, with pen input. But now it looks like they've all been dropped in favor of English-oriented dictionaries with keyboard-only input. I poked around the web and couldn't find anything with kanji pen input except the Zaurus models. You could probably get away with the older, more primitive Zaurus models that don't even have a keyboard, like the old B&W MI-P2. Don't let the 52500Y price scare you, these machines are always heavily discounted.

[GomiGirl]

I should have mentioned im currently in Australia..

Well get yourself a Telstra i-mode handset and sign up for TangoTown for a couple of dollars a month unlimted usage. More Kanji than in an electronic dictionary as it is all on-line. You don't have to fork out hundreds of dollars for a PDA when you can have it on your keitai. Lecture notes - an HB pencil and notebook got me through 2 degrees just fine.

/ shameless pimping

[American Oyaji]

You GG?
Noooooooooo.

[Hanakuso]

Well get yourself a Telstra i-mode handset

They aint free.. plus im on a prepaid nokia brick from the mid 90's, dont think thatl be compatible...

an HB pencil and notebook got me through 2 degrees just fine.

Geez why didnt I ever think of paper and pen... all this time ive been chiseling away at a damn slate..


I will suss out the Zaurus's do some more research and keep yawl posted..

[GomiGirl]

They aint free..

Neither is the Zaurus. Can't make phone calls on a Zaurus.

But then I made the move from PDA's to mobile phones a while ago and haven't looked back.

[Hanakuso]

Apparently the Nintendo DS is going to release a dictionary with Kanji input and also a program to help you write properly...

http://www.nintendojo.com/infocus/view_item.php?1140395104 Thatd be pretty gnarly.. dunno if my level of japanese is up to it tho.. (translations would all be in japanese)

Anyhow the hunt continues...

Btw.. Comi girl.. ill chek out some phones but i dont think theyl have what im after.. then again its been a while..

[Caustic Saint]

Apparently the Nintendo DS is going to release a dictionary with Kanji input and also a program to help you write properly...

http://www.nintendojo.com/infocus/view_item.php?1140395104 Thatd be pretty gnarly.. dunno if my level of japanese is up to it tho.. (translations would all be in japanese)

If you've already got a DS, the dictionary (soon to be plural when the one you linked to comes out) for it might be an okay (but not perfect) choice.

I've got DS Rakuhiki Jiten and it's handy. No Kanji input, but you can draw in English, Hiragana or Katakana. The interface is all in Japanese, but it's not insurmountable. (English review here.) One thing I like about Rakuhiki Jiten is that it forces you to use the proper stroke order. You can write the correct character, but if you're doing it the wrong way, you won't get the result you want.

Sure, it's limited, and not updateable, but it's an okay place to start. I'm not a hardcore student of the language by any means, but it serves me well enough. And since I've nearly always got my DS in my pack, having the dictionary saves me from having to tote around an additional PDA or standalone electronic dictionary. And for $40-50 (depending on where you get it from) it's not a huge investment.

[Caustic Saint]

The DS Kanji Dictionary comes out tomorrow and it looks pretty sweet. Check out the commercial for it on Nintendo's site.

Combine it with the existing DS Rakubiki Jiten and you've got a pretty solid combo. (And in less space than one paperback dictionary would take up. )

[Hanakuso]

yeh, ive got the DS dictionary coming in the mail...

ill keep yawl posted as to whether it is the snaz or the duddage.

[Hanakuso]

The verdict...

Seems pretty cool, and it serves my purposes as a basic kanji dictionary... All the other functions should be much more useful when I know enough Japanese to navigate the thing properly...

My girlfriend is having fun with the quizzes on there...

I wanna have fun...