something positive [ e ]

I thnk this is a great idea. Never would float in ignorant, mono-lingual US, but it's superb.

On a vaguely related topic:

Do they have tracphone (pay by the minute) set-ups in Japan?

posted by DjangoAugust 8, 2003 at 3:30

pay-per-minute [ e ]

as far as I know, no.  They have pre-paid where you buy 30, 60 or 90 minutes.  You can get more minutes at places like 7/11.

posted by greggmanAugust 9, 2003 at 8:10

Excellent FREE DoCoMo I-mode dictionary [ e ]

I really suggest you use the FREE open source dictionary WWWJDIC.http://www.csse.monash.edu.a
u/~jwb/wwwjdic.html

From that page it has 3 I-Mode links. All are useful. All you have to pay for are packet charges. It is important to note that it is a huge dictionary file, and if you are searching in english for a japanese word, you should use the suffix ( P ) to return only words in popular use.

This should work great on your new 505.

posted by tetsuoxbAugust 10, 2003 at 16:53

No such thing [ e ]

Actually that dictionary is not free because DoCoMo charges you for each packet which means it costs you a few cents / yen each time you use that dictionary.  I guess you mentioned that but it can really add up.  On top of which, net access through phones is still too slow not to be annoying.  The advantage to that particular dictionary though, as you mentioned, is it's much bigger.

Unless he's fixed it though it does not work from J-Phone or AU.

posted by greggmanAugust 11, 2003 at 2:25

i guess here is no such thing as a free lunch [ e ]

When I was in Japan, I was a big advocate of using imode wwwjdic.... but you are correct, the packet charges can add up. However, I think that the approximately ~500-1000 yen per month I spent using it were well worth the expenditure for the following reasons.

1) It is the most powerful online dictionary for J2E2J conversions. The speciality dictionaries (medical, ect) are also accessible.
2) A comparable handheld dictionary would cost 20000-30000 yen, or at least a couple of years of using imode wwwjdic.
3) Pay services are not as powerful or as useful. They charge at least 200-300 yen and you still get hit with packet charges.
4) Built in dictionaries on phones cannot have the physical memory needed to have a comprehensive dictionary.

You are right about it not working with Jphone and AU/Tuka. This is regrettable, but I think it can/will be fixed shortly by a Java2ME application that can access the dictionary. The wonderful thing about Jim Breen is that he is open to users creating new ways to access or supplement the dictionary.

My girlfriend has one of the high end sharp color electronic dictionaries, and routinely wwwjdic proved to be a better tool in explaining more advanced concepts. It is awfully hard to type in linear algebra into a dictionary like that and get an accurate response, but wwwjdic just worked.

Granted, I think wwwjdic is better for those who already speak some japanese and will need it for infrequent use of more advanced vocabulary; however, I have yet to find a dictionary that was more satisfying to use.

posted by tetsuoxbAugust 12, 2003 at 2:05

CE? [ e ]

EDICT is great but not perfect.  It is only Japanese to English, not English to Japanese.  Yes, there is that option but the data itself is  not setup that way.  Instead of looking up the word "build" and seeing what Japanese words mean "build" it instead just searches the English definitions of the Japanese words.  In other words, if the definition for "kabe" (wall) had the example "build a wall between us" then "kabe" would appear when searching for build.

The best solution IMO, assuming you are comfortable with computers is a CE based PDA.  You can install EDICT (using JWPCE), you can also install PDIC and the dictionary at http://www.alc.co.jp which in my opinion is usually better than EDICT for normal terms and you can also install all the logavista dictionaries.  And, you get kanji input to boot!  Sure it's a little expensive but for something I use daily that gives me access to so much Japanese reference it's pretty great.

posted by greggmanAugust 12, 2003 at 13:24

Clutter [ e ]

I agree about edict. I am actually familar with the way the data is laid out in the dictionary and that is why I use the exact match/ trick to get it to return a proper result. the J2E only nature of edict is the single greatest design flaw of the system, IMHO.

The CE based PDA route is exactly what Jim Breen himself uses, which is somewhat amusing. I have a palm that i rarely use, so I will have to look into installing dictionaries for it.

Yet, I want less items in my pocket or bag, and a phone with a full featured dictionary is something I can't wait to have. I am sick of device clutter, and I want a phone that can replace my PDA and my current phone. I have a game boy, NetMD player, PDA, and cell phone in my pocket. I think it is fair to say that id like to have that down to one or two small devices in 3 years. I heard that one of NEC's next phones will run a full version of lembedded linux, and that might be the first legitimate chance we get to create something as end users to fill the gap. Along with the proliferation of memory card carrying phones, and the Java2 Mobile Edition, it presents many interesting opportunities. Maybe even money making opportunities.

Thanks for the tips on dictionaries. It seems you are an online dictionary afficianado as well. see you on the tokyopia forums.

posted by tetsuoxbAugust 13, 2003 at 2:37

Mobile Edict, Gene [ e ]

Please give POPjisyo a shot too if ya have a moment:

http://www.popjisyo.com/WebH
int/imode/imode_e.aspx

Works with most web enabled phones.

Autodetects Jp<->En, and does fuzzy matching.

[/end-jikopr]

posted by anon_penpenAugust 13, 2003 at 4:43

GMAN: Cell Phone with Japanese <-> English Dictionary [ e ]

Greggman.com has posted about a useful new cell phone for people learning to speak either Japanese or English. For those times when you don't want to carry your electronic or paper dictionary (or dictionaries), you'll always have your phone with you. How convenient! Is anyone out there using one? How much does it cost? Is it as useful as you thought it would be?

[ Read the rest of this Trackback Comment ]

posted by nowseehere.typepad.comAugust 18, 2003 at 17:03

[ e ]

I have a Tu-ka Cyber Giga 9600 prepaid phone I bought in May 2002.  Do you know where I can buy refill minutes?

posted by DougJuly 11, 2004 at 7:41

prepaid phones [ e ]

As far as I know, prepaid phones stop working if you don't use them for over 90 days.  You'll have to buy a new one.

I could be wrong though.  Generally you can get minutes at 7/11 I think but of course you could go to a Tu-ka store.

posted by greggmanJuly 11, 2004 at 12:08