Pleco for Android vs iPhone

Okay, this is not another Andoid vs Iphone thread. It's simply about how well Pleco functions on either system.

I will be starting a course in Beijing in September which is taught in Chinese and therefore I desperately need Pleco to get through the first month or so, especially the OCR thing to read documents/instructions easily.

Going with an iPhone seems to be the safe bet since Pleco for Iphone is mature and there's only a few models so no problem with getting one that doesnt work well with Pleco.
If I buy an Iphone its going to be a second hand 3GS probably. Unless the 4 is really superior for the OCR? It needs to work really well, so if the 4 is much better, please let me know.

However, I much prefer Android and the phones themselves seem to be better for most parts(for me). They're also cheaper.
But how do I know which Android phone to get?
Is there any phone that you know works well with Pleco and OCR, or ones that I need to avoid?
Also, if I buy an ANdroid, can I still get all the dictionaries for the beta version?

Please let me know of any pros and cons of the Android and Iphone versions of Pleco (not the systems themselves!)
Thx
 

djbass

Member
This will be a bit late in your case but now that I own both versions I will give my oppinion.

I've been rocking the iPhone version (3gs) since it was released and it has definately matured a lot (to the point I no longer use ICED ABC, the closest competitor to Pleco).

Everything just works, and after many updates the OCR on the 3gs is very reliable, but i would still say its a definate advantage having the sharper resolution of the 4g as it struggles with small writing or low light conditions.

After initial use the Android version seems mostly feature complete, other than flashcards I haven't found anything I can't do on my iPhone copy. I'm using it on a tablet so it is hard to say if the UI is as well balanced on a smaller device, certainly the larger screen is great for using the handwriting feature.

Interestingly i just noticed the voice recognition (VOX) feature, and am quite impressed how well it works (especially since my chinese pronunciation is not the best), something that is an advantage over the iPhone version for certain.

At the end of the day the real strength of each is the dictionary, and since they both offer the excellent ABC dict you can't really go too wrong with either version.
 
hey! thanks for your reply. I actually got an android last week, a galaxy s 2. so far im very impressed by the beta, it's much more mature than I thought it would be.
mostly ive noticed the live ocr crapping out a couple of times and sometimes the handwriting, but no biggies.
it would be nice to be able to import a photo and save the text into a file and then translate the full thing. and of course, flash cards.

in the meantime, I wonder if there is any way to transfer the pleco word lists to anki? i copied them over but anki couldnt see them.
 
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