Re: Zaurus? Canon Wordtank? Or...?

I've been using a wordtank v-80 for about a year now. Although I have
no experience with Zaurus or other dictionaries, I can speak a little
about the v80.

The handwriting is very good, it finds even the most complex kanji with
ease. The explanation per kanji is also very detailed, and you can see
and test the stroke order.

However, the words with two or more kanji are difficult to find and are
not always there. For example, if you dont know the reading of 本当,
you can write both kanjis with ease. However, there is no 本当 entry
in the kanji dictionary, so you have to check all the on-yomi readings
of 本, then delete it and search for 当, memorize its on-yomi, go to
the normal japanese-english dictionary and try some combinations.

For me this is specially difficult because I'm used to babylon on the
pc, where I can write in "moto ataru" to get the same kanjis, and check
the right yomikata with the definition of the word. Does the Zaurus
allow that?

There are also some "unnecessary" feature in the v80 as well - 4 kanji
proverbs, chinese conversation and name reading with voice support.
That makes the dictionary bigger in size and price.

The 2 AAA batteries run out very fast too, so it's better to use an AC
adaptor or rechargeable batteries.

For sure its a big tank, but I can't find the convenient stylus (great
for jumping too) and the kanji recognition elsewhere...

I hope it helped.

Leon

P.S. It seems that there is a newer version of the wordtank, but I'm
not sure about the improvements from v80. Better check it out :)


John R. Yamamoto-Wilson wrote:
Ben Bullock wrote:

Actually I don't know but there was a long thread about this on the
Honyaku mailing list so it may be worth referring to the archives of that.

Hmm. Had a look. Several comments about how the Zaurus beats the Wordtank
because of the handwritten kanji recognition, but the Wordtank models I saw
in Akihabara yesterday all had handwritten kanji recognition!

Has Wordtank made a major change in the last year or so? Or what?

By the way, if the particular discussion you are referring to was fairly
recent it seems it is no longer archived
(http://www.monjunet.ne.jp/PT/honyaku/).

Thanks,

John
http://rarebooksinjapan.com

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Zaurus? Canon Wordtank? Or...?
    ... Basically, I only use the Zaurus as a dictionary, so its PDA features ... other electronic dictionaries is the handwriting recognition of kanji, ... which appears to have many of the Kanji handwriting ... recognition features which characterise the Zaurus. ...
    (sci.lang.japan)
  • Re: Zaurus? Canon Wordtank? Or...?
    ... recommendations for handwritten kanji recognition devices. ... I strongly recommend the Wordtank. ... very good electronic dictionaries is because the jump features seem to be ... Other dictionaries seem to restrict the ...
    (sci.lang.japan)
  • Re: Zaurus? Canon Wordtank? Or...?
    ... no experience with Zaurus or other dictionaries, ... The explanation per kanji is also very detailed, ... Does the Zaurus ... not sure about the improvements from v80. ...
    (sci.lang.japan)
  • Zaurus? Canon Wordtank? Or...?
    ... My trusty Zaurus is about ten years old now, ... other electronic dictionaries is the handwriting recognition of kanji, ... which appears to have many of the Kanji handwriting ... recognition features which characterise the Zaurus. ...
    (sci.lang.japan)
  • Zaurus? Canon Wordtank? Or...?
    ... Basically, I only use the Zaurus as a dictionary, so its PDA features are superfluous to my needs. ... As a dictionary, its main advantage over other electronic dictionaries is the handwriting recognition of kanji, coupled with easy cross-referencing of meanings, readings and combinations. ...
    (soc.culture.japan)