To buy or not to buy?

[Hartville]

Hi, I am in a four year Chinese program in Taipei, Taiwan. I am thinking of buying the
pleco software program and a top of a line PDA/Cellphone to use with my software. Can
you share your thoughts with me as to why I should buy this program. Thanks. Steve

P.S. Feel free to contact me here in Taipei. casey_steve1@yahoo.com

 

[sfrrr]

You are asking a group of confirmed users--not exactly a random or unbiassed sample. If you use flashcards to study, if you need to look up all the nuances of a word in multiple Chinese and/or English dictionaries or to create your own dictionary, if you want to read Chinese-character texts and get immediate word definitions, if you want to practice writing hanzi or just search for words using keyboard pinyin or zhuyin entry (or search by radical)...then get PD. For those of us who use it, it's far and away the best learning tool we've found, and a terrific dictionary resource because of those multiple dictionaries mentioned above.

Also, read the posts in this forum yourself and see what you think. We really can't decide anything for you and besides, a topic like this can easily turn into a flame war.

Sandra

 

[Shadowdh]

I agree with Sandra, and as one of the confirmed users my response is "if you are learning Chinese then how can you NOT buy Pleco"... its an invaluable learning tool that soon becomes indispensable. Character lookup, flashcards, and now with sound and stroke order diagram... I use it every day without fail, and the fact that I know use a pda/phone means its always on me so when I am out and about and come across the many, many characters I dont know its easy to look them up. Its more than worth getting.

 

[ipsi]

Agreed. Pleco is essential, really. I find the stroke order diagrams in the 2.0 beta invaluable when trying to remember how to write characters. The fact that I have it on a smartphone is fantastic, it makes it much easier to look up unknown characters if I get some in a text message, for example. Email on Palm is a bit trickier sadly, though I'm sure it's better on WinMob.

2.0 will add a huge amount - Document Reader (integrated with the dictionary, making it so easy to lookup words), audio (for all individual syllables, and a large number of words), animated stroke order diagrams (simplified and traditonal!), more dictionaries, etc.

Basically, it's about the best software out there for learning Chinese. If you see something that has a feature Pleco doesn't, I'd be surprised. Well, for a handheld device anyway.

Having said that, asking about a product on that products own forums is unlikely to get you a balanced viewpoint.

 

[renovator]

The only regret you will ever have with PlecoDict is that you did not buy it earlier. Set up the flash cards to coincide with your method and rate of learning and you will learn Chinese characters and words faster than with any other tool on the market. The only reason not to buy that I can think of is if you are looking for an excuse not to learn Chinese. PlecoDict is not only the best software out there for daily mobile use, but getting better all the time with new versions and upgrades. Stop procrastinating and order it online now.

 

[daniu]

Hi!

Wao - I guess every Software would like to have convinced users like this ...

The problem of all the others is: I do not know any Software that is as helpful and as much doing what it is supposed to d o than PlecoDict.

Another point to be emphasized is: I neither know any Software which has as good user support/asks so much what the user really wants as PlecoDict ...

So: go ahead - buy it! 快一點！But don't get the Shi lin yie shi version (just kidding) and eat some tian bu la and a ji pai for me ... *jealous*

best regards
Daniel

 

[foertai]

Even as for me who is not a fluent English speaking user............. PLECO is a WONDERFUL dictionary... sure, the best in the world and I use it every day in Beijing . :lol:

 

[tianli]

Every 6 months or so I would go searching for a portable chinese handwriting system ...I did this for nearly 6-years. I knew what I wanted and moreso I knew I needed it. How to read signs when travelling, how to study when travelling, where to put everything that I knew.

...when I found Pleco it was what I wanted before I knew it existed.

I don't think there is a bias here, Pleco is in one hand a pen in the other, the practical functionality of each and the relevance to learning Chinese is inseperable for me.

2 weeks after buying pleco I sold my library of CE/EC Dictionaries, the money from their sale more than paid for both Palm TX and my Pleco. The dictionaries have now been replaced by an even larger library of Chinese readers, my Pleco sits on my open page and ensures that I turn the page in minutes not days. I have progressed further and faster in my studies than I could have otherwise. Is there another product, no, would I want another even if there was, No!! ...and honestly I have never looked, why would I?

The pleco community is also very special, they pop in and out of their busy lives (except ipsi, he is always here :roll: ) and a question never goes unanswered.