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dictionary posts

Atree J100 gets lost in the forest of Korean PMPs

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 18th 2009 at 9:53PM

We certainly can't knock the 4GB Atree J100 when it comes to its well stocked arsenal of goodies: it has a three-inch touchscreen, an e-dictionary, DMB digital TV tuner, video playback, and microSD expansion -- and it plays music too. Audio formats are also plentiful, with MP3, WMA and OGG for the commoners, and FLAC and APE for the lossless fanatics. Too bad it's held back by the chunky casing, which looks big enough to have fit a five-inch screen if the designers were so inclined. With slicker-looking competition from the likes of Cowon and Samsung, the otherwise entirely useful J100 might struggle to stand out, but if you're willing to look beyond its superficial shortcomings, it's available now for 198,000 KRW ($158).

[Via PMP Today]

Phil Schiller says Apple didn't censor a dictionary

by Nilay Patel posted Aug 6th 2009 at 2:14PM

Yesterday's story about Apple censoring the Ninjawords dictionary seems to have made some waves in Cupertino -- none other than Phil Schiller followed up with Daring Fireball's John Gruber to provide Apple's perspective on the situation. According to Phil, Apple's objection to Ninjawords was that by using the free Wiktionary.org dictionary, it "provided access to other more vulgar terms than those found in traditional and common dictionaries," and that the App Store reviewer initially suggested the developer resubmit when iPhone OS 3.0 was launched with parental controls. Since 3.0 hadn't been released yet, the developer censored some of the words in an effort to get onto the store early, and that's how Ninjawords ended up both censored and rated 17+. Sure, okay, except that Gruber points out that the App Store reviewer flagged some pretty generic swear words, not the smack-your-momma vulgarities Phil claims are the issue. Still, the larger message remains the same -- the App Store review process is maddeningly inconsistent and in dire need of reform -- and on that note Phil says Apple intends to "learn and quickly improve," so it sounds like there's hope yet. Check the read link for more of Phil's response, it's an interesting read.

Apple's new low: censoring a dictionary

by Joshua Topolsky posted Aug 5th 2009 at 1:03PM

You know guys, you're not really doing yourself any favors at this point. We've seen plenty of stories thus far detailing the company's absurd, reactionary, and typically confusing application rejections or changes for its App Store, but the treatment given to dictionary app Ninjawords seems particularly telling. In essence, the program, a simple and fast reference tool -- a straight-up dictionary -- has omitted a handful of common words seen as objectionable by the Star Chamber of application reviewers at Apple HQ. What kind of words, you ask? Well, namely the same kind of words which you can find in any standard dictionary in just about any classroom in this country. John Gruber of Daring Fireball fame succinctly calls out what is patently obvious:

Apple censored an English dictionary.

A dictionary. A reference book. For words contained in all reasonable dictionaries. For words contained in dictionaries that are used every day in elementary school libraries and classrooms.

But it's far worse than that.

Continue reading Apple's new low: censoring a dictionary

Nurian X40Kris e-dictionary is an OS away from a UMPC

by Darren Murph posted Mar 12th 2009 at 11:22PM

On one hand, we're pretty impressed that someone would actually bother to produce an e-dictionary this fancy. On the other, we're disheartened that those very "someones" didn't just throw a real-deal OS on here and call it a UMPC. Hannuri Biz's newest premium pocket dictionary goes by Nurian X40Kris and features a 4.3-inch LCD, QWERTY keyboard, 4GB of internal storage, 79 different dictionaries (saywha?) and support for XviD, PDF, Flash, JPEG and MP3 files. We're told that it'll be offered up in South Korea for ?379,000 ($253), and we're giving it around a fortnight before someone shoves a TV tuner and their favorite flavor of Linux on here and calls it a day.

[Via PMPToday]

Hannuri Biz offers up Nurian TX-3 PMP / e-dictionary combo

by Darren Murph posted Feb 17th 2009 at 1:31AM

Hannuri Biz already delivered that one-two punch with its FX1, but the long awaited successor (TX-3) has finally hit the scene. Launched over in its home nation of South Korea, this PMP / e-dictionary hybrid boasts a 4-inch touchscreen (480 x 272), an SDHC expansion slot, 1,050mAh rechargeable battery, USB connectivity, a voice recorder, e-book reader, support for MP3 and video files, a PDF viewer and an FM tuner to boot. In case that's not varied enough, there's also the obligatory dictionary, which includes 14 volumes in 13 different languages. For jetsetters, the ?319,000 ($227) asking price is surely reasonable, but for everyone else, we'd say a lower priced, monolingual media player would likely suffice.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Gallery: Hannuri Biz offers up Nurian TX3 PMP / e-dictionary combo

JCHyun's Udea Discovery PMP / dictionary loves to love you

by Joshua Topolsky posted Aug 7th 2008 at 6:01PM

Looking for a PMP that will be your eyes, ears, mouth, hair and forearms? Perhaps you should gently turn your attention to the JCHyun Udea Discovery -- a device that treads that tremulous space between MP3 player, Tricorder, and utter waste of money. Still, it's kind of packing a lot of heat for the asking price (179,000 KRW, or about $176) -- with 32 dictionaries in 4 languages (Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese), a video player, audio player, handwriting recognition, and an interface that looks like Windows Mobile... but likely isn't. You won't see this in the US anytime soon, so find yourself a good importer.

[Via PMP Today]

iriver P10 launches at last, D5 lands on our shores

by Paul Miller posted May 20th 2008 at 9:26AM

It took 'em a year, but iriver is finally ready to unleash its P10 touchscreen mega-PMP upon the world -- or at least Korea. The player rocks T-DMB, an 800 x 480 4.3-inch LCD, 33GB of storage and quite unique UI. There's also an included stylus and built-in handwriting recognition, with dictionaries for English, Chinese and Japanese. For about $312 US you can get a DMB-free unit, or spring for mobile TV at a $390-ish pricepoint, but again, those are both Korea only. If you're looking to spice up your life this side of the Pacific, iriver is also bringing its D5 clamshell multimedia dictionary to the States, at $300 for 2GB and $350 for 4GB.

Read - P10
Read - D5

Digital Cube's i-station UDIC gets hands-on treatment

by Darren Murph posted Apr 30th 2008 at 6:03AM

One thing's for sure about Digital Cube's i-station UDIC: it's not your mother's electronic dictionary. Boasting a full (albeit tiny) QWERTY keyboard and a unique swivel screen, the HDD-packin' device could easily be mistook for a miniature UMPC (a convertible one, at that). Just in case you've forgotten, it also features a 4.3-inch display, text-to-speech support and an Alchemy AU 1250 CPU. Pricing has been set for ?398,000 ($396) / ?448,000 ($446) in the Korean market for the 30GB / 60GB editions, and you can check out a video of some spicy hands-on action in the read link below.

[Via SlashGear]

Inkel's MU-D e-dictionary longs to be a real tablet PC

by Darren Murph posted Feb 29th 2008 at 10:54AM

Not like we expect anything earth-shattering to emerge from Inkel's South Korean laboratory or anything, but surely it could do better than this. The awkwardly named MU-D (it's for Multimedia Dictionary, supposedly) does manage to include a DMB TV tuner for keeping you busy when not defining your life, but the whole swivel screen approach just seems... forced. Nevertheless, you will find a 4.3-inch 480 x 272 resolution panel, 4GB of internal storage, support for SDHC cards and an undisclosed price tag. Now, if only this thing could play ~~Doom~~ Portal.

iriver's D5 electronic dictionary gets whitewashed

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jan 4th 2008 at 9:03AM

We know it's not natural to get all funny about an e-dictionary, but we can't help it -- iriver's little D5 gets us hot under the collar. You may remember seeing this multi-use, flip-open device in its original black, but luckily for us the company has decided to issue a new color that we can oggle. As before, the D5 features MPEG-4 video and MP3 audio playback, a 480 x 272 TFT display, an FM radio, voice recorder, and USB connectivity. Also as before, you'll need to hit Korea if you hope to get your hands on one -- cause this puppy doesn't seem to be headed Stateside.

[Via Akihabara News]

Maxian's E900T PMP / GPS navigator offers near-endless possibilities

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jan 2nd 2008 at 9:07AM

At a glance, it's easy to mistake the Maxian E900T for other members of the Maxian family, such as the E900DIC or D900 Neo. Let's face it -- this company has some fundamental problems when it comes to differentiating between models. The latest entry into the lineup comes in the form of a wild, do-it-all PMP -- one which incorporates audio and video playback, a DMB receiver, GPS navigation, and an always-handy dictionary into one delicious package. The Windows CE-based system boasts an 800 x 480 4.3-inch touchscreen, a 30GB or 60GB hard drive, support for WMV, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DiVX / XviD, H.264, WMA, AAC, MP3, and OGG formats (amongst others), plus the aforementioned DMB compatibility. The E900T is capable of outputting 720p HD video, sports Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound, and includes Burr-Brown audio circuitry which it outputs via S/PDIF. When you slap this thing into its carmount, it also becomes a full featured GPS navigator, taking advantage of the GPS receiver in the cradle to provide turn-by-turn directions and other navigation functions you know and love, like locating Wendy's (in Korea, at least). No word on when, or if, this will be available in the States, but it couldn't hurt to write some letters of encouragement.

[Via Navigadget]

Hannuri Biz's nurian X10 e-dictionary doubles as PMP

by Darren Murph posted Dec 25th 2007 at 6:36AM

Hannuri Biz has a knack for sprucing plain ole e-dictionaries up with enough multimedia capabilities to still make them relevant, and it's proving yet again that these things still have a place in our world with the vividly colored nurian X10. Aside from sporting an external LCD surrounded by playback controls, this thing also handles all the translating one could stand, and just in case you get tired of mingling with all those words, it can also play back XviD and MP3 files. Additionally, you'll find an image / text viewer, voice recording capability, USB connectivity and a rechargeable battery good for up to 14-hours. Mum's the word on pricing at the moment, but feel free to check out a couple more looks in the read link.

iriver's D27 e-dictionary loose in Korea

by Darren Murph posted Dec 13th 2007 at 12:16PM

We aren't exactly sure why a media-playing e-dictionary has us this jazzed up, but it probably has something to do with that absolutely delicious design. Whatever the case, it's available now in South Korea for ?278,000 ($301) -- got a cheap ticket to Seoul, anyone?

Maxian looks to educate with dictionary-equipped E900DIC PMP

by Darren Murph posted Aug 15th 2007 at 5:32AM

Not willing to be left behind by all those other dictionary-packin' PMPs out there, Maxian has decided to launch a device of its own to both entertain and educate. The E900DIC boasts a stylish white enclosure, simplistic control scheme, and a "Saydic" dictionary that even touts text-to-speech capabilities. Details regarding the actual formats that this thing supports are scant, but we do know it features a DaVinci chipset and plays nice with H.264. Unsurprisingly, this one looks to be a Korean exclusive, but those parked near Seoul can reportedly snag one for between ?400,000 ($430) to ?500,000 ($538).

[Via MobileWhack]

Atree's UM10 e-dictionary with trick sliding keyboard

by Nilay Patel posted Aug 14th 2007 at 7:15AM

It must be nice to live in a culture where it seems like having a dictionary on hand at all times is a must -- but sadly we in the US seem doomed to describe everything as either "awesome" or "sucks" while kids in Asia broaden their vocabularies with devices like Atree's UM10 e-dictionary / PMP. The unit, which sports a sliding flip keyboard much like the HTC Shift, also takes stylus input on its 3-inch screen and can play back media in a wide range of formats, including MP4, WMV9, MP3, WMA and Ogg. The unit also has FM and DMB tuners, a Microsoft Office reader app, and either 2 or 4GB of storage expandable via microSD. No word on price, but unless you're planning a trip to Korea sometime soon it doesn't really matter. Too bad -- it sucks that we can't get a device this awesome over here.