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Google Dictionary slams shut forever, world unsurprisingly at a loss for words
close /v. kloʊz; adj., adv. kloʊs or, for 51, kloʊz; n. kloʊz for 59, 60, 63–65, 67, 68, kloʊs for 61, 62, 66/ Show Spelled [v. klohz; adj., adv. klohs or, for 51, klohz; n. klohz for 59, 60, 63–65, 67, 68, klohs for 61, 62, 66] Show IPA verb, closed, clos·ing, adjective, clos·er, clos·est, adverb, noun verb (used with object) to put (something) in a position to obstruct an entrance, opening, etc.; shut. to stop or obstruct (a gap, entrance, aperture, etc.): to close a hole in a wall with plaster. to block or hinder passage across or access to: to close a border to tourists; to close the woods to picnickers. to stop or obstruct the entrances, apertures, or gaps in: He closed the crate and tied it up. (of the mind) to make imperceptive or inaccessible: to close one's mind to the opposite opinion. Something you can no longer 'Google' and hope to find in Google Dictionary. [Thanks, Goog]
No Comment: Windows Phone Dictionary app icon seems eerily familiar
Who really thinks about designing a dictionary icon? They all look alike, after all, so what would be the point of creating a brand new one for your Windows Phone third-party app? Better just to pick up the one everyone likes so well and use that. Yes, as Craig Hockenberry pointed out this morning, the Windows Phone Featured Apps page is sporting a Dictionary app icon (for what appears to be a third-party app, not a Microsoft published app) that is a pixel-for-pixel copy of the Mac OS X Dictionary icon. Who remembers 'Redmond, start your photocopiers' from WWDC in 2006? For something like this (no doubt unauthorized by Microsoft, but still hilarious), we've got to award it a solid No Comment.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary now available on iPad for free
You could argue that there's not much need for a separate dictionary app any more. With dictionary services built into nearly every interface and Google and Wikipedia searches just a tap away, it's not hard to find out what a word means or how it's spelled any more. But sometimes you may just want to browse around or look a word up for yourself, and for those times, there's the Merriam-Webster Dictionary app, which is now available on the iPad for free. It's certainly not the only dictionary app available, and the renowned Oxford English Dictionary has its own edition available for the iPad already. But that one costs US$54.99, and the ad-supported Webster dictionary benefits not only from a lack of initial cost, but features like voice search, audio pronunciations, a search history and a browse mode that lets you search and learn new words as you like. It's a solid dictionary app from an old name in the word-indexing game, and even if you only use it occasionally, it's probably worth having around on your iPad.
Kobo unbuttons for $129 eReader Touch Edition, we go hands-on (video)
Kobo today kicked off Book Expo America with the launch of a new six-inch, one-button touchscreen e-reader -- named, appropriately enough, the Kobo eReader Touch Edition. Priced at $130 -- $10 cheaper than Amazon's Kindle -- the pocket-sized device strives for a reading experience more akin to that of old timey paper books, courtesy of a Zeforce infrared touchscreen, new Pearl eInk technology, and a freescale i.MX507 processor for faster page turning. Click on through for more details and our impressions of this little reader.
Visual Thesaurus is a great tool for writers
After I wrote a post about the changes in Lion's Dictionary app and made suggestions about how Apple could still improve it, I got a nice email from a reader asking if I would write an article about some other writing tools I use. One of my favorites is Visual Thesaurus by Thinkmap. Visual Thesaurus is an interactive -- almost organic -- dictionary and thesaurus for your Mac. Enter a word, and you'll be presented with branch nodes displaying synonyms or antonyms for that word. The lines between the words are color-coded to indicate parts of speech. Depending on how you are using the word, click on its proper definition and then delve down through the semantic relationship of the word by clicking on its node. The whole process is a really fun way to find the right words you are looking for. You almost feel like an explorer traipsing through a thesaurus thanks to the interactivity of the app. In addition to containing 145,000 English words, the app also features 39,000 proper nouns and American and British word pronunciations. Visual Thesaurus is available as both a web app and a Mac/Windows app. The web app costs US$2.95 per month or $19.95 per year. I opted for choosing the actual Mac app, which costs $39.95. The advantage of the Mac app is that you don't need an internet connection to access the thesaurus, which is handy if you're like me and commonly take your MacBook to various non-connected places to write. Visual Thesaurus for the web requires Mac OS X 10.0 or higher, an internet connection and a web browser. Visual Thesaurus for Mac requires Mac OS X 10.0 or higher.
Apple updates Dictionary app in Lion, still has a way to go
AppleInsider has spotlighted some improvements Apple has made to the built-in Dictionary app in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. Among the new features, the actual dictionary files used in the app have been updated from the second edition (2005) of the New Oxford American English Dictionary to the third (2010) edition. The third (2010) edition of the British Oxford Dictionary of English is also included along with the British Oxford Thesaurus of English. The Shogakukan Japanese dictionaries and Apple's own dictionary of trademark and product names have been updated as well. The app now also uses a two-pane display, which makes it easier to navigate between words or phrases. Previously, you would be presented with only a list and have to click back and forth to the list in order to select a new word. Another welcome feature is a pop-up definition preview when a word is searched for using Spotlight. Now, hovering over the word in a Spotlight list displays the full definitions of the word instead of just the first few words of the definition. Apple has also added a new multi-touch trackpad command to its built-in dictionary. Now clicking on a word using three fingers will open up the in-line dictionary panel for that word or open that word in the dictionary app itself (depending on your Dictionary settings). As a writer, I geek out over any improvements Apple makes with its dictionary features. However, I will not rest until Apple adds access to the excellent OneLook Reverse Dictionary from within the Dictionary app itself (much the same way you can access Wikipedia within the app). Sometimes you just want to see a list of words describing "red fruit" without having to manually think of every such word; alternatively, you may know the definition of a word, but not the word itself (such as "urge to travel"). Besides adding a reverse dictionary, I would also love to be able to bookmark favorite words and create word lists where I can group similar words together for quick access. For example, it would be nice to create a list of words or phrases I could possibly use to describe someone who is angrily shouting. I guess I can only hope Apple reads my words.
OMG, FYI, and LOL enter Oxford English Dictionary, foreshadow the apocalypse
In an acknowledgement of the internet's overwhelming influence on the triviality we sometimes refer to as "real life," the Oxford English Dictionary doyens have decided to add a few of the web's favorite pronouncements to their lexicon. Among them are the standouts OMG, LOL and FYI, joining their compatriots IMHO and BFF among the proud number of officially sanctioned initialisms (abbreviations contracted to the initials of their words) used in the English language. Shockingly enough, the expression OMG has had its history tracked all the way back to 1917, while LOL used to mean "little old lady" back in the '60s, and FYI first showed up in corporate lingo in 1941. Not only that, but the heart symbol -- not the <3 emoticon, the actual ♥ graphic -- has also made it in. Just so long as Beliebers and fanpires are kept out, there's still hope for the future. A tiny, twinkling ember of a hope.
Pleco Chinese Dictionary iPhone app now handling real-time image translations
Talk about timely. We've been waiting for months (with bated breath, might we add) for Pleco 2.2 to finally hit Apple's App Store, and after dealing with a few launch day bugs last week, we can finally say it's out and ready to dominate any Chinese homework you've been hastily procrastinating on. The Pleco Chinese Dictionary is now available in the app store at version 2.2.1, supporting both fullscreen handwriting input and live camera-based character recognition. Have a peek at the video past the break if you're still curious as to what this app can do for you, and feel free to toss your experiences with it down in comments below. Here's hoping this is only the first of many languages Pleco decides to tackle -- not that we're much on tossing out subtle hints.
Next edition of Oxford English Dictionary may be online-only
Video killed the radio star and the internet, it seems, is about to obviate printed reference tomes. Oxford University Press, the publisher of the 20-volume authoritative text on the English language, has said it might not publish a printed version of the next edition. The OUP cites 2 million monthly hits on its subscription-based ($295 per annum) web lookup service, which compares rather favorably to the 30,000 total print sales since the current (Second) edition's publication back in 1989. The complete Oxford English Dictionary hardback set costs $1,165 and weighs in at a whopping 130 pounds altogether, so perhaps Oxford would be doing Ma Earth a favor as well by going paperless. Of course, we're talking about the somewhat distant future here; the next OED isn't expected to be completed for another decade, by which time we could have all sorts of magical devices, maybe even a color Kindle!
Pleco 2.2 Chinese Dictionary uses iPhone camera to translate text in real time (video)
Can't say we've heard of the Pleco Chinese Dictionary app prior to today even though it's been around for two full version releases. Of course, we've seen plenty of Google Goggle-like smartphone apps that can snap pictures and then convert the image to text using optical character recognition (OCR) -- something that can be incredibly useful when important stacks of business cards. Pleco 2.2, however, is one of the first apps we've seen that can translate text in real time using the live image presented on your phone's camera display. The new feature, targeted for release in September, requires iOS 4 and should work with either the iPhone 4 or older 3GS. Sure, you might not need this app every day, but it might just be the difference between ordering chop suey or a thousand-year old egg garnished with a side of stinky tofu. See it in action after the break.
Microsoft's experimental English-Chinese dictionary mines the web for data (video)
When it comes to quick and dirty machine translation it may not supplant Google Translate anytime soon, but for those who would actually learn another language, Microsoft's working on some fairly impressive tools. Engkoo is an search engine for Chinese speakers that scours the web for its data, finding articles that are written in both Chinese and English to create an continually-updated lexicon, plus provide interactive (and audible) sample sentences that explain nuances of the language. See a rundown (in English) of what's possible so far in a Silverlight video after the break, and try it out for yourself at our source link -- if you must, you can even search for "tiananmen."
Sharp's Brain PW-AC10 e-dictionary attempts to fool you with its phoney looks
We've seen Sharp e-dictionaries aplenty here, but with the exception of a couple of models, that same ol' clamshell form factor's bound to send you to snoozefest sooner or later. To keep the Japanese bookworms interested, Sharp's latest offering -- dubbed the Brain PW-AC10 -- has packaged itself in a BlackBerry-esque candybar, which it claims makes it the industry's lightest e-dictionary while carrying two AAA batteries that keep it going for 110 hours. You'll obviously have to make do with a shrunken color LCD (2.4-inch QVGA) and keyboard, but the device still packs the usual English-Japanese translator, flashcard feature, and a seven-language traveling phrase book (with color images). ¥13,000 ($149) and it's yours early next month.
iPad apps: for your reference
Sure, you've got an iPad, fancypants -- but do you know the boiling point of cobalt? No? Then what good are you, really? Fortunately, we're here to offer you an exciting opportunity to combine your love of 9.7-inch tablets with your thirst for knowledge by hooking you up with a list of some the best, brightest, and coolest reference apps available for the iPad today. You'll spend a few bucks to file most of these away in your 64GB (or 32GB, or 16GB) of memory, but you never know when you're going to be unexpectedly called upon to recite eight widely-spoken languages in South Africa, now, do you? Follow the break for the rundown!
Twelve iPhone apps for students
It's been a while since we were in school, but with spring break almost done with, it's time to settle back into that last long stretch of school before it warms up and summer starts. You've got your handy iPod touch or iPhone with you on campus, and of course, you'll download some games, music, and apps that help you figure out where to go Saturday night, but there are also dozens of useful apps for the college student that are sure to be beneficial to you and your education. Here's twelve good ones to check out. Chemical Touch Lite College chemistry is never easy, and students will be required to memorize the periodic table of elements and use chemistry mathematical formulas. Chemical Touch Lite will let you do exactly that -- it has a fully interactive periodic table of elements, as well as information on all of the elements and their symbols. It won't guarantee you an A, but it will help you remember Au (and all of the other elements you need to know). Eleven more after the break!
Nokia Custom Dictionary takes predictive text to the obvious next level
Nokia's just posted its literally-named Custom Dictionary utility to Beta Labs' hallowed halls of experimental wares, finally bringing what appears to be a thorough, editable predictive text solution to S60 devices so that you can use (in Nokia's own words) friends' names and nicknames, places, and "slang" (read: every four-letter word you know) with aplomb in the course of normal textual conversation. What makes Custom Dictionary cooler than the average predictive text system, though, is the fact that you can load, unload, and transfer custom word lists to and from your PC and between devices, making it easy to back up your nonsensical gibberish in the event you lose or change phones. As with anything in Beta Labs, you've got to proceed at your own risk -- but the stuff's available to download now. Follow the break for a video demo.
TUAW Tip: Get an instant definition of any word in a pop up window
Gee, I love stuff like this, and I wish I would have known about it a long time ago. The tip comes from OSXhelp.com and it's a great one. Need a quick definition of a word in Safari or an email? Yes, you probably already knew you could right-click on a highlighted word and bring up the OS X dictionary, but how about this? Press Command+Control+D while hovering over any word, and up pops the definition almost immediately. If you continue to hold down those keys you can slide your mouse over any other word and get a definition as well. Let go of the keys, and click somewhere else and the dictionary vanishes. This little feature doesn't work everywhere. It requires you be in a Cocoa application, like Safari or Mail. It works in Pages, but not in MS Word because it was based on Carbon. Sadly, it doesn't work in Firefox. In fact, you can't right-click in Firefox and get a definition in the 'normal' Apple way. If you want even more information than the little definition, click on the word 'more' at the lower right of the pop-up, and you'll get a lot more stuff from the Apple dictionary app, including usage suggestions and the origins of the word. A couple of notes: If you are using a macro program like QuicKeys, make sure you aren't mapping the key combination you need to activate this feature, or re-map it to something else. If you click on the word 'dictionary' you can bring up the thesaurus, and if you launch the Apple dictionary application you can get into preferences and change the order of display, so you get the thesaurus as a default. You can also change your right-click behavior to open the concise panel instead of the larger definition page. Once I memorized the command key sequence I find myself using this all the time. It's quick and dirty. Let us know if you like it. Thanks to OS X Help for all the little tips they regularly come up with, and to my fellow blogger Erica Sadun for testing this feature with QuicKeys. Sharp eyed readers will note we've covered this tip before here and here but I think it bears repeating.
Japanese Nintendo downloads: Parodius, Genius Personal dictionaries
Though today is a fairly low-key day for downloads on the Japanese Wii and DSi Shops, there are a few things available that we'd love to see in North America but never will. The Virtual Console has MSX releases of two wonderful shooters, the Gradius/Twinbee/octopus mashup cute-em-up Parodius, and Salamander, which we know as Life Force. The MSX ports are inferior to most other versions, so maybe we can live. The other programs we desperately want but won't have: the Genius Personal series for DSiWare, which allow you to write a word in English or Japanese (depending on which version you download) and get a translation and definition. Perfect for people who have to read and translate Japanese DSiWare titles all the time! Parodius (MSX, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Salamander (MSX, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) atChess Battle Spirits (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) G.G. Series D-Tank (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Artist Ni Narou! MInna ni Nurikai Jukyuu-hen (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points) Pinball Attack! (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points) Genius Personal English-Japanese Easy Dictionary (DSiWare, 1 player, 800 DSi Points) Genius Personal Japanese-English Easy Dictionary (DSiWare, 1 player, 800 DSi Points)
Unichal unveils portable, pocketable DIXAU DX3 dictionary
At first glance, this looks a tiny bit like a flip phone of yesteryear, sure. Closer inspection, however, will prove it to be... a tiny dictionary! Korean company Unichal's recently shown off its newest pocket dictionary, the DIXAU DX3. This tiny source of knowledge boasts a built-in camera which can scan unknown words and deliver definitions on the front facing stylus-enabled touchscreen. The unit boasts a microSD card for multimedia storage, and is also equipped with the ability to speak back words to you -- in case you really can't be bothered to read them for yourself. It's available now in Korea, and though we doubt it'll ever make its way to the US of A, we'll keep watch for you. There's one more shot after the break.
Force Snow Leopard's Dictionary.app to reuse definition window
The Dictionary.app in Snow Leopard has been driving me nuts. If you use LaunchBar or Spotlight (or probably any other method of sending a word to Dictionary.app), it opens a new window. And then another. And then another. This might be handy if the window bar was updated to show the word that you had looked up, but it doesn't, meaning that the extra windows are just clutter. Before 10.6, Dictionary.app reused the same window for each new definition. If you wanted to go back to a previous word, you could simply use the "Back" button. As we've heard countless times, Snow Leopard has been about subtle refinements, but this was a step backwards to me. I was surprised that there isn't a Preference setting to reuse the same window or open a new one. In a fit of frustration yesterday, I posted a bounty on Twitter and asked Rob Griffiths to see if he knew of an answer. Rob is the proprietor of MacOSXHints.com which I consider essential reading for Mac users (I have even submitted a few tips of my own over the years). I knew if anyone could find an answer, it was Rob. Well, it turns out they don't call him Rob "The Hints Guru" Griffiths for nothing. Not long after my cry for help, Rob figured out how to Force Dictionary to show definitions in one window. As you might expect, it involves entering a command in Terminal.app while Dictionary.app is not running: defaults write com.apple.Dictionary ProhibitNewWindowForRequest -bool TRUE Voilà! Dictionary will now revert back to the 10.5 and earlier behavior of using one window for all definitions. Rob must truly be credited for discovering this gem, because (as of this writing) Google comes up 100% empty when looking for 'ProhibitNewWindowForRequest'. When was the last time you tried to Google something and came up completely empty? That doesn't happen often anymore! Turns out that Rob used another tip from his site to find hidden preferences (something else which has gotten more difficult in Snow Leopard). It's the circle of life... or at least, tips. Thanks again, Rob. Now where do you want me to send your Ferrari? (You'll have to read Rob's post to get that joke. It also explains how to undo this change if you decide you want to revert to the standard 10.6 behavior.)
Oxford English Dictionary is the very definition of an ugly Mac port
Upon learning that the Oxford English Dictionary was going to be released on CD-ROM for the Mac, I pre-ordered it from Amazon.com for $244 back in December (list price $295, currently $212). Due to Amazon's "pre-order price guarantee" the final price was just under $200. This should be considered a bargain. The printed version of the two-volume Shorter Oxford English Dictionary sells for $350,The Compact Oxford English Dictionary "in slipcase with reading glass" sells for $400, and the 20 volume complete dictionary set sells for $995. Since I am-and hope to remain-married, I did not even consider spending $1000 on the complete 20 volume set (for very long). But a CD-ROM? That doesn't take up any space at all, and it's at a fraction of the price! (I should probably note that Mac OS X comes with the "New Oxford American Dictionary" which is not the same thing as the OED, despite the similar sounding name.) The CD-ROM lists itself as "version 4" but this is the first version to be "native" on the Mac. If there was a way to emphasize the quotation marks around the word "native" I would do so, because as I quickly learned, the OED puts the "ugly" in "butt ugly Windows port." The image you see above is the application icon. Have you ever seen an uglier icon? Have you ever seen an uglier icon for a $300 Mac application?
