I'm thinking of whether a 4G ipod touch is worth buying.

I want to ask the people who use itouch/iphone whether it is convenient to read japanese ebooks on such a device? The resolution was said to be about 900x600 pixels.

How many percent of your reps do you do on iANKI?

I ride the buss for only about 20-30 minutes per day.
And have a maximum 1,5 hours of breaks per a schoolday.
I usually do homework, read mangas,or listen to podcasts during those times...

So do you think buying an itouch would make my learning significantly better?

The only good thing I heard was that you can do reps faster in a situation where doing reps is the least boring thing. but is it good enough?

1)I have a PSP and a windows mobile 5 pocket pc, so perhaps it would be smarter to get an ebook reader (with japanese support) for the psp?
2) And maybe I should somehow hack Ankimini to the windows mobile system(although it may be time-consuming)...I saw a hack for Windows CE (whatever it is) on ankiforums
*This way I would presumably have the functions I want of the itouch, on PSP and PPC.
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My birthday is coming up in a few days and I'm thinking of the most useful present to ask from my parents.
I feel that I don't really need anything with a charge for learning Japanese as there are so many good free tools already.(prove me wrong!)
I thought of asking a skateboard, as it's the only sport that I have ever liked.(and excercise is good for the brain)

I can't comment on the Ipod thing, but wanted to leave you a suggestion for Windows Mobile:
There is a good (and free) reader: http://www.turnip.demon.co.uk/jim/freda/freda6.htm (there is also a newer version at zune, but i never used it). I'm using this myself to read japanese ebooks on my HTC Touch (remember to change the font in the application if all you're seeing is boxes). If edict-dictionaries are ok for you, there is Pocket Dictionary for Windows Mobile: http://www.ookii.org/software/pocketdictionary/ to look up words with copy-paste from freda. I never used Anki on it, though.

"you can do reps faster in a situation where doing reps is the least boring thing"


I have an iPod touch. All I'm going to say is that there's an awful lot of things you can do on there, and reps probably won't be the least boring thing (especially if there's internet). If you're not inclined to do them now, having the iPod in your hand probably won't inspire you to start.

rigol Wrote:I can't comment on the Ipod thing, but wanted to leave you a suggestion for Windows Mobile:
There is a good (and free) reader: http://www.turnip.demon.co.uk/jim/freda/freda6.htm (there is also a newer version at zune, but i never used it). I'm using this myself to read japanese ebooks on my HTC Touch (remember to change the font in the application if all you're seeing is boxes). If edict-dictionaries are ok for you, there is Pocket Dictionary for Windows Mobile: http://www.ookii.org/software/pocketdictionary/ to look up words with copy-paste from freda. I never used Anki on it, though.

Wow! Thank you for this, I had been looking for free PPC dictionaries like crazy about a year ago and didn't find anything!

As for the ebook reader...the "dictionary lookups" part looks rather enticing :p
But I'm not sure whether my 5 year old PPC-s resolution is comfortable enough, but I definitely want to thank you!

I have to say I like the freedom of reviews on the go. Not only that I think not having to do them on the computer is a big relief (and I'm someone who generally likes being on the computer).

It definitely helped me in a big way to become a lot more productive with Anki after I got it on my iPhone. So I'd personally recommend it as a good enhancement to study.

raeesmerelda Wrote:"you can do reps faster in a situation where doing reps is the least boring thing"


I have an iPod touch. All I'm going to say is that there's an awful lot of things you can do on there, and reps probably won't be the least boring thing (especially if there's internet). If you're not inclined to do them now, having the iPod in your hand probably won't inspire you to start.

That's what I thought...although you know the ajatt thing...

...just delete all the movies, disable the wifi etc with a BROAD smile...and there won't be any other options than anki .

I can't speak about the iTouch specifically (though I did research them as an option before I got my current setup), but ever since I got a Blackberry and put an EPWING reader and a text reader on it, I've been getting a lot more reading done, and I was surprised at how fast I could do lookups! I don't need a mobile Anki app because I usually finish my Anki reps before classes, and I can use my college's computer labs + Ankionline in the rare case I don't, but if it would be helpful to you, I say go for it! Although I think it depends on what you use it for, I think a smart phone (Iphone/Itouch & Android ones are the most popular, most Android apps are free, but they might not all work on every Android phone) + an EPWING reader can mostly replace the functionality of a denshi jisho (for everyday use, for 専門的 stuff, it's probably better to use a denshi jisho or a computer), having looked at both.
I never put games on my phone though, too tempting. XD

I asked myself this question for months. I then broke down and got an iPhone, and I'd say it's totally worth it. If you spend time that would otherwise be 'dead' on doing your reps, you can do something else when you're at home, like reading books in Japanese, watching stuff in Japanese, playing games in Japanese, spending time on lang-8... you get the idea.

I'd say, save yourself the time and trouble of trying to hack anki onto a random device and get the iTouch. The anki client has support for all you'll ever need, like audio and images, and recieves updates to keep in line with the desktop client.

The high resolution is nice for reading, also. I'll admit that a larger screen would be easier to read on, but the fonts are as crisp as can be.

I can't speak for the games, though... don't have any, won't get any.

jettyke Wrote:How many percent of your reps do you do on iANKI?

I ride the buss for only about 20-30 minutes per day.
And have a maximum 1,5 hours of breaks per a schoolday.
I usually do homework, read mangas,or listen to podcasts during those times...

So do you think buying an itouch would make my learning significantly better?

The only good thing I heard was that you can do reps faster in a situation where doing reps is the least boring thing. but is it good enough?

In my case I usually finish all my reviews on AnkiDroid with time to spare (around 200-250 cards daily) before I even get home from work. What I noticed is that I do my reps a LOT faster on my phone than on my desktop, this is despite having tempting games/music/podcasts, it just goes so fast and frees a lot of my day afterwards.
For example: today I did 312 reps in 51.7min (phone only), yesterday 275 in 1.3h (phone 34%, pc 66%).

Overall I think its not only worth it, it should be mandatory You can't imagine how much time gets wasted during all kinds of "breaks" till you actually see how much you've done throughout your regular day.

I have to agree with everyone who has recommended the touch. I'm on mine right now, and I just did ten minutes of vocab reviews in between classes. It's great for those little bits of time that would be wasted otherwise. I also have a japanese dictionary, grammar ref, media, etc. There are thousands and thousands of apps for just about anything you could possibly desire, for studying and for entertainment. It's really an excellent bit of technology.

But if I read mangas and listen to podcasts during breaks, then...why would I need to buy an itouch?

I can watch movies on 3 other devices, and listen to music, and use wifi...

@rigol

That *** font f***lder doesn't show up. I just lost an hour trying to make it appear and no luck...

God damn does it make me angry... I'm starting to feel that itouch would be much easier...

I started slowly readingof this japanese text in menus with GREAT hardships...checked the right boxes...
Then even googled for the right options in Japanese, which is frustratingly slow as my japanese is not so good yet...

Oh please help me.

EDIT: YES!!! Finally some random magic installed the fonts and now the reader doesn't open the library and the pocket dict doesn't run!

Throwing in my 2 cents:

I exclusively do reps on my iPhone only. I haven't done reps on the PC client in... well ever since the Anki app came out. I do still make new cards on the PC, since the plugins aren't compatible with the app yet.

I don't really understand what you are talking about because I don't even have japanese menus Oo ^^ I just installed the Meiryo font using the tutorial here http://www.ookii.org/software/japaneseinput/font.aspx and could just choose the font in the applications via the drop down menus.

Doing reps on the go on my android is CHANGING MY LIFE

No different on iOS

I vote you get it

jettyke Wrote:But if I read mangas and listen to podcasts during breaks, then...why would I need to buy an itouch?

I can watch movies on 3 other devices, and listen to music, and use wifi...

Or you could do your reps on a device that is as good for it as a desktop (while listening to podcasts) and read manga on a bigger screen at home.

Just hijacking this thread to ask: is there an alternative to the iPod touch that might be a bit less pricey? I really only want to use anki on the go (with audio, if possible), so paying that much seems a little wasteful..

Sorry for barging in, but I didn't think this question deserves its own thread.

Schokomilch Wrote:Just hijacking this thread to ask: is there an alternative to the iPod touch that might be a bit less pricey? I really only want to use anki on the go (with audio, if possible), so paying that much seems a little wasteful..

Sorry for barging in, but I didn't think this question deserves its own thread.

Unfortunately you're basically getting either a tablet of some sort or an actual computer to lug around.

I went with an android deevice since I need a phone ( having a smartphone is GREAT ) does the music playing I want, acts as a phone, apps like ankidroid for studying on the go, and usually you can get one for pretty darn cheap on a phone contract.

If you don't have a need for that however, the most COST effective would probably be an old laptop or a used ipod touch.

That's my best guess. Technology isn't cheap ><

thurd Wrote:

jettyke Wrote:But if I read mangas and listen to podcasts during breaks, then...why would I need to buy an itouch?

I can watch movies on 3 other devices, and listen to music, and use wifi...

Or you could do your reps on a device that is as good for it as a desktop (while listening to podcasts) and read manga on a bigger screen at home.

This. You wanted to know if it was good for Anki: it's a pretty small screen. A computer screen is what, at least a foot across and high? iPod Touch is a 3.5" diagonal screen; it's probably 4"x2".

That said, there's other reasons to have an iPod Touch: Daijirin, Kotoba, and Kanji LS could be a few of them. Just don't depend on the internet unless you have extremely reliable wi-fi wherever you go.

rigol Wrote:I don't really understand what you are talking about because I don't even have japanese menus Oo ^^ I just installed the Meiryo font using the tutorial here http://www.ookii.org/software/japaneseinput/font.aspx and could just choose the font in the applications via the drop down menus.

I installed the fonts but the program doesn't work with them.

What encoding do you use?
Do you use "characters are words"?
override encoding?

I assume you are talking about freda? Is the font in \Windows\Fonts? Does the font work in other programs? If yes, did you try the following: Settings -> on top tap "Text Appearance" -> drop down menu Font Name -> choose font, 2x ok, freda reloads the text. My txt files use utf-8 encoding, the encoding setting in freda is currently on "device default" (but also works fine if set to unicode or utf8) and I don't use "characters are words". Hope that helps a bit...

I'd say if you take the bus it's a good investment. I have an hour+ on the bus to work (x2 if you count each way!) and I find it much easier to get into the swing of it on the bus than at home. I normally get them done a lot quicker and like others have said, it frees up time at home.

I don't use iAnki fyi, I have an android phone and ankidroid is just as good I'd say-- so you could get a cheaper android phone.

rigol Wrote:Hope that helps a bit...

Not just a bit,

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

I now got it working

I think it was something about the encoding of my files. Made them into UTF-8 and default.
And works well!

My pocket Loox N560's 600x480 screen is actually very perfect :O :
*The text is normal sized for the eyes, not too small and the screen is a bit wider than the itouch.
*I think the retina resolution wouldn't add anything to the reading experience if I read with a normal (not small-sized) font.
*And it's probably less tiring to read smaller pages than big pages of a paper book as I'm not so good at reading books yet .

[Mission 1 complete!](But it took hours...)

Now I've got to get that dictionary working. The pocket dictionary works, but there are no dictionaries. Is there a way to get the dictionary working by transferring the EDICT file from my computer?

I have failed many times connecting the device to the internet so this would probably be much easier!

I'm glad to hear that

About PocketDict:
Did you try following the directions given at the homepage under "Getting dictionaries"? I don't recall how I did it, but I'm sure I followed the steps described there.^^

I got an iphone last week, kind of a replacement for using a netbook for anki on the go and my initial thoughts are:

- for me reviewing is not as quick as on pc (but i do use a lot of buttons, eg audio, suspend, delete and these are a bit fiddly)
- i don't really add any extra japanese time, as like you i would always read manga with my spare time on the go. But it's good for not getting behind on reviews when I go to a friends house for the weekend or something.
- the dictionary is def handy for when I'm out the house but my denshi jisho is nicer to use at home.
- twitter on iphone is great, I love reading Japanese tweets and it's kinda cool as they are small and frequent, so I'm constantly reading Japanese throughout the day
- i get distracted less by the net as i read it on my phone rather than pc and as browsing is more difficult I don't go off on massive tangents. I just check what I wanted to check and I'm done.

one more - it's great always having a music player for Japanese music, podcasts and radio when walking to the station etc