been asked b4, but which is the best for pleco dict-

[tuvia]

i am going to buy a palm this week (school is starting) but after reading so many posts about bugs/bug fixes i am really nervous about being able to install the pleco dict, and especially correct the bugs (i'm techno-illiterate!)....and of course, learning to use the thing. i am in beijing, so will be buying something here- so, is there one model that is more reliable or pleco-friendly than the others? thanks for any help u may be able to give.

t.

 

[lmcjipo]

i am going to buy a palm this week (school is starting) but after reading so many posts about bugs/bug fixes i am really nervous about being able to install the pleco dict, and especially correct the bugs (i'm techno-illiterate!)....and of course, learning to use the thing. i am in beijing, so will be buying something here- so, is there one model that is more reliable or pleco-friendly than the others? thanks for any help u may be able to give.

t.

I have a PalmOS Treo 600 (smartphone) and I don't have any problems with running PlecoDict. If you want a phone with your PalmOS device, I have no hesitations in recommending the Treo 600. The only issue with the Treo 600 is that it is a low (standard) resolution device of 160x160 but PlecoDict's magnifier feature easily solves the issue of differentiating/reading the Chinese characters.

 

[Jim]

Treo 650 is also very good. High resolution screen is an advantage over 600. I have used mine with the OS including CJKOS in ROM and the OS which has CJKOS on a CD which installs to RAM. Both are very stable. Both are available in China. Several stores in Zhong Guan Cun carry both versions.

If you get one and need help setting things up you can contact me directly.

 

[tuvia]

thanks!

can u give me an idea of where zhong guan cun is? or will most cab drivers know it?

 

[mikelove]

Just about any cab driver should know it, but if they somehow don't, ask to be taken to the South gate of Beida (Peking University), then walk a block or so East to get to Zhongguancun. There are a bunch of giant electronics markets out there, they're all pretty much identical but prices do vary so it's probably a good idea not to buy a Palm without going to a couple of stores (or at least bargaining heavily).

The Treos are useful if you want a cellphone/PDA combo, but if you just want something to run PlecoDict they're kind of expensive for that. A better bet would be to get a Palm Tungsten E or E2 - they're the cheapest Palms with high-resolution displays (which are a big help for reading Chinese characters). If you're looking to buy the Professional or Complete version of PlecoDict, you'd also want a 64MB or 128MB SD memory card to hold all of the (very large) data files.

 

[tuvia]

thanks mike- thats a great help!

one other question (well, one other til i buy and install the pleco anyway), u mentioned the high resolution screen- does the zire 31 have it as well? i have a chance to buy that model rather cheaply, and i am wondering how it matches up with the models u mentioned. thanks again!

t

 

[mikelove]

The Zire 31 is low-resolution, unfortunately, but it costs maybe half what the Tungsten E/E2 do so it might be a worthwhile tradeoff.

 

[tuvia]

thanks for the help folks!

i went ahead and bought the e2 today with a 256mb sd card (which i am assuming is adequate for the larger options of pleco dict).

 

[tuvia]

back again-

i noticed mike recommended getting a 64mb or 128 mb sd card, but i forgot which one was suggested and bought a kingston 256mb sd card. will this have any adverse impact on running pleco (i will likely purchase the complete bundle).

 

[mikelove]

That shouldn't make any difference at all - more space is generally better, you might find the extra MBs particularly useful when we release Pleco 2.0 (in which we're planning to add speech capabilities - the data files for that will be very space-intensive).

 

[lmcjipo]

Re: back again-

i noticed mike recommended getting a 64mb or 128 mb sd card, but i forgot which one was suggested and bought a kingston 256mb sd card. will this have any adverse impact on running pleco (i will likely purchase the complete bundle).

As Mike mentioned, the more space, the better. For a computer, you can never have enough RAM/memory or hard drive space. For a PDA, you can never have enough memory or external storage space. I have a 1GB SD memory card for my Treo 600 and it is almost completely filled. I'm running almost everything that can be run off the SD memory card as well as some MP3s.

Even though I have a 1GB SD memory card, I'm hoping to get an 2GB SD memory card because I'm running out of room on my 1GB card. When I get the larger SD memory card, I will install and try the optional larger font which takes up a lot of memory/space.